Shackles
by McNelly
Summary: After being arrested for a murder he didn't commit, Nick Wilde has endured his prison sentence for one year when predator crimes shake the distraught Zootopia once again. Judy Hopps is sent to interrogate the notorious killer, only to find herself confronted with a truth she wasn't willing to accept. (Inspired by the old plot for Zootopia)
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note and Summary:_

 _One year after the series of crimes that had Nicholas Wilde imprisoned for cold blooded murder, Zootopia is once again plagued with severe Predator Attacks. The ZPD is lost on the case, and Judy Hopps, a bunny officer that still has had no chance to distinguish herself, is sent to interrogate the notorious killer whom she had brief contact with one year prior._

 _This story is inspired by the old plot of Zootopia, but is set in an alternative storyline focusing on Judy and Nick getting to know each other when Nick has a far worse reputation._

 _It's my first fanfic, and I am kinda just writing it to get back into writing casually. Hope you enjoy nonetheless, and if you guys like it, I'll write more._

Chapter 1

There was a crack in the wall.

It was the only unevenness in an ocean of mind numbing grey. Its length measured perhaps three inches, and it curved and twisted like the dying twigs of a veiny tree.

Nick Wilde kept his gaze focused on that crack as the world around him blurred and snapped back into focus. He had nothing else to look at in his cell. The crack was the only thing of interest to him, the only thing suggesting that perhaps this building smelling of rust and cold stone was not eternal, was not indestructible. He sat on his hard prison cot and imagined the crack expanding. In his mind it drew a dark line all across the wall, until it split the grey ocean in half lose Mooses had once done. Behind it, there were swirls of colour that slowly took shape in his imagination. He thought of the rainforest district, with its green light. The smell of wet asphalt in a summer night, drops of rain running down the surface of a curved leaf. When he closed his eyes, he could still picture it all so clearly. His imagination was one of the two things keeping him sane in prison.

The other was spite.

Nick had no intention of letting this place break him. He had been known as a mammal that did not lose his cool, and it was a reputation he would not let anyone take away from him. It mattered not that the tame collar around his neck was set to a higher sensitivity and an even higher voltage should he in fact trespass into moods of passion.

He had succeeded.

365 Days of grey nothingness, narrow rooms and clinical white light.

365 Days of unwashed, always agitated bodies pressing against each other in the line to what could barely be identified as a prison cafeteria.

365 Days of the same spiel, every day, of being confined in the role of a notorious criminal.

365 Days in which he had not once activated his Tame collar and shocked himself.

Wilde folded his arms behind his back and opened his eyes to return his mind to the crack.

One day he would find a crack in the system.

And then he would escape the hell his life had become, clear his name, somehow, and return to the lesser evil. One day he'd return to Zootopia, a free Fox – and he would find a way to rid himself of that damned collar, even if it meant he'd be a fugitive, even if it'd kill him.

There were footsteps in the hall.

Nick, ripped out of his bitter, daily musings, looked up.

"Visitor for you, Wilde.", the guard on the other side of the bars growled. Nick eyed the Rhino in disbelief, but the guard wasn't kidding. He had handcuffs and shackles in one hand, and was fiddling at his belt for the key to the cell.

"A visitor, for me?" Nick stood, pressing his paws against his chest. His thoughts were racing behind the lopsided, smug smile. Who was here for him? Why? There was no one. "Truly, I am honoured."

The guard had unlocked the door and was aiming a tranquilizer gun at the fox. "Paws." He demanded. Nick held them out compliantly and watched them be shackled.

"Hey, Ryan, did you know that today is the anniversary of my imprisonment?" he asked sweetly. "You know, I never thought an innocent Fox like me could survive in prison. But boy, oh boy, what a run it has been, hm? You've been great, Ryan."

The guard made him turn his back and bent to shackle his feet also. "Shut up, Wilde."

"That's exactly what I mean, Ryan. You always tell me what you think. I appreciate that. I feel like we've got a real good thing going on here. A special connection."

Ryan turned Nick by the shoulder and pushed him towards the cell door.

"Speaking about a special connection, how is Mary? Did she go through with the Divorce?"

Nick could almost hear the Rhino grind his teeth. He was well aware that the couple had broken up a while back. He had overheard Ryan crying about it like the secretly sentimental Rhino he was.

"That sucks, buddy. I feel ya. And the custody fight over the children?"

Silence, still. Nick's smile grew as the wandered down the narrow hallway and towards the interrogation room. "Oh. Well. Ever so sorry to hear it. Knowing you on the job, you must have been one hell of a dad."

He turned over his shoulder to give a half-lidded, content stare towards the Rhino.

"So. Who's here to see me?"

Earlier the same day – ZPD

"If any of you are squeamish despite your choice of profession, I advise you to look away now or distract yourself", grumbled Chief Bogo. It was not his usual grumpiness or mild annoyance that lowered his voice, Judy realized. The chief himself was unnerved, his grasp on the projector remote tight, his face set hard.

The bunny officer swallowed hard and sat in her chair straighter.

Click. The first slide flickered up in the dimly lit conference room. Gasps and whispers travelled like a quietly rushing wave through the audience of cops. Judy's ears drooped.

"One Elk, Henry Andler. Two Donkeys. Bella Hove and Isaac Ior." Chief Bogo announced. The photograph on the slide was greyscale, but there was no denying that the pattern on the floor was blood, spattered into every possible direction, dragged and treaded through. In the centre of each puddle lay pieces of bodies – some barely recognizable. The elk's antlers, and a few scarps of his suit, were the only thing left of him. Judy saw from the corner of her amethyst eyes how some of the other officers turned their heads away from the sight.

"I realize that they are hard, nearly impossible, to recognize in this picture." The chief continued. "But these victims were working, living, breathing mammals not 10 hours ago. They were discovered at 6 AM this morning, when the Downtown Centre Mammal Bank opened its doors for the day. The three bank assistants had been the last members of staff left in the building around closing time. They never closed the bank."

The next slide. Portraits of the mammals, alive, as they had been before last night. Judy's nose was twitching violently.

"We owe it to these upstanding Citizens to find their killer. Here's what we know so far. Their death happened around 11:30 o'clock last night. Mr. Andler has been…devoured…mostly. We can assume that the culprit was no longer hungry when he had his turn with the other two. Given the nature of claw marks and…teeth marks…the culprit is undeniable Predator."

"W-what about security footage, sir?", Judy chimed in. Bogo gave her a long, hard look.

"If only our job was that easy. The tape for the night is missing from the security room."

Officer McHorn raised his hand. "Sir, a Predator should have been shocked by their collar long before they could do something like this. The voltage has been raised enough to knock fair sized Predators out in situations like this. If they went savage…"

"Well then", Bogo said, his sarcasm a reaction of bare nerves. "We have a safety violation on our hands. "That, or…" his gaze travelled towards Judy, who didn't understand the meaning of his expression. "Or we are dealing with another Nick Wilde."

The silence was deafening. Judy felt as though she could have wacked her ears and cut the tension. She shifted uncomfortably, holding her paws clenched tightly around the edge of the table in front of her. The name Nick Wilde summoned unpleasant memories. He had seemed like the typical shifty, clever, sly type of fox at first. A nuisance, and certainly untrustworthy. She hadn't doubted during their brief encounter a year ago that he was a criminal – but she had never imagined him to be the frightening killer he turned out to be.

When Zootopia had been riddled by savage Predator attacks a year ago, the town had been thrown into a disarray of fear and chaos. The mayor had been called into question, and Bellwether had been elected in the tiger's stead. She had enforced that stronger tame collars would be prescribed to every Predator, and that Predators currently living within prey communities would be moved to Predator only areas. The Predator Neighbourhoods existed now in all districts of Zootopia, and had the general qualities of Slums about them. These changes had managed to control the Predator attacks, but it had split the mammals further apart. It was uncommon, unthinkable even, for a Predator to enter a Prey bank without getting taken in by the local police.

Nick Wilde however prove during the peak of the prior attacks that there was a way still for murder. His collar had not been able to stop him when he mauled a sheep to death, because his collar had not gone off. It was not broken, nor out of charge, yet it had not activated during the entire time in which the Fox had dragged his claws and teeth through sheep flesh.

Judy shuddered at the thought.

It had not worked, because Nick Wilde had not felt a single spark of passion or anger when he had killed the sheep. He had been calm and collected all the way through – a cold blooded murder without the slightest hint of remorse.

Judy had been startled and frightened when she had heard about Wilde's arrest and life sentence to high security prison on Outback Island. She had not been able to grasp how the quick witted, content, relaxed, almost charming Fox she had written a traffic ticket, had been capable of such a thing.

The name of the notorious killer had made her fade out of the conversation. She perceived the clicking of the slides distantly, and only snapped back into focus when chairs moved behind her and officers stood and left the room. Bogo looked at her, and called, for what appeared to be the second time "Officer Hopps."

She stood straight. "Yes, Sir!" and her mind almost trailed off again with even a hint of relief at the knowledge that she would probably be tasked with parking duty, or paper work, or Down Town patrol. In all her year, Chief Bogo had not trusted her with dangerous work, and since she had misjudged the character of one Fox so drastically, she had not fully trusted herself either.

The thought that he could have killed her, pushed his sharp fangs into her fur and flesh, without a second thought….and she had not noticed.

Bogo took a step towards her and leaned his fists on her table.

"This is not the first attack we've had in the past month." Bogo clarified.

Judy nodded sadly. "Yes, I…I know. Two super market cashiers, killed in Sahara Square. One Prey Doctor, murdered in his apartment in Tundra Town."

"Hopps, as you have surely noticed, these recent attacks have seemed almost premeditated. It's different from back then. These aren't just savage animals. Which leads me to believe that perhaps we are closer to having another Nick Wilde than we think."

"N-no way, Sir! With all due respect, as untrustworthy and dangerous Predators may be, they still feel _something_ when they want to kill!"

"Hopps, you are the only officer we have that spoke to Wilde back in the day and got him to utter even a sentence.", Bogo pressed on. His gaze had something akin to pity in it. He looked softer than usual, as though he expected his next words to hit her hard.

"I am assigning you to his interrogation."

"His – his what, Sir?"

"Go speak to Wilde. Get him to talk. He claimed back then that he knew something, well, maybe we should listen. Let me be clear here, Hopps. You are not to make any deals with the bastard. That monster is staying in prison until he rots for all I care, but we can't overlook any lose ends."

Judy felt the all too familiar fear boiling in her stomach and making its way up into her throat. Her heart was beating heavily within her little chest.

"I don't know, Sir. He tricked me before…"

"So you know not to believe him this time.", Bogo retorted, and added, softer: "You'll be safe, Hopps. He will be cuffed and guards will be present the entire time. Get him to talk. You are our best shot at getting to him. If he underestimates you, all the better for us."

Underestimate her? Did that mean Chief Bogo thought higher of her as a cop than the fox would? She felt her chest swell with pride, her original iron will returning. She was a real cop! Of course she could handle danger! She could handle criminals! Even the sly fox.

"Understood, Sir. Please leave it to me."

"That's what I wanted to hear.", Bogo nodded. "You're going over there this afternoon."

With those words, the chief left the room. Judy stood alone, stiffly, with the flickering projector in the background. She willed her nose to stop twitching in fright. She could do this, she told herself.

She could interrogate Nick Wilde.SheSS


	2. Chapter 2 - Interrogation

_**Author's note**_ _: Thank you all for the positive response on the first chapter. I have written up to chapter 3, so you can be rest assured that continuation will come within the next week. I am yet to think of a good update schedule – do you prefer an update soon and then a longer waiting phase? Or do you prefer updates to be evenly spaced every 5-7 days? (if I can even keep that up. Man.)_

 _I'm also still trying to figure out if I am doing the right thing each step of the way. Lemme know how you like it._

 _Hope you enjoy the chapter._

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

The prison was a giant of concrete towering threateningly over the small bunny as she approached. Judy's ears lay flat against her head and her wide eyes were darting about nervously. She passed through a gate with an armed guard on each side and took a dark concrete road up towards the building.

There was nothing about the facility that was not daunting. In itself, it was an ugly and simple construction, build for cold and precise practicality. The air itself felt claustrophobic in the presence of the building, as though whatever lay inside sucked all freedom and energy out of the atmosphere.

Perhaps, Judy told herself, she was anxious because she was enemy to every prisoner inside.

A prison – the place where a Cop's successes and triumphs manifested in the form of hateful, bitter, angry inmates, all with a strong disposition towards anyone wearing police uniform. It was the first time Judy had visited a prison this secure, the first time she would come face to face with the lives she and her colleagues had restricted. With good reason – she argued to herself.

Inside, her guide and guard, an elephant of considerable size and muscle, stood aside for Judy to turn towards the reception desk. The receptionist sat securely behind a wall of impenetrable glass and looked up at her with a mixture of boredom and suspicion.

"A bunny. You must be officer Hopps?", the female koala inquired. Exhaustion and stress had edged deep shadows under her button like eyes.

Judy stepped closer to the glass, and with her paws resting on the desk, she nodded.

"I am here to-"

"I know what you're here to do", the koala interrupted lazily. "Officer Stomp over there will accompany you. Please keep at least two meters of distance between you and the prisoner at all times. Do not bring any sharp objects or potential projectiles into his range. For your safety as an outsider, we have additionally prepared a remote to activate his tame collar should you find it necessary. As you are probably aware, Mr. Wilde is not easily provoked, and you should, as such, not trust that his tame collar will activate on its own."

A hatch in the glass opened, and the clawed hand of the koala pushed a simple, black remote towards her before reclosing the gap in the protective wall. Judy picked it up as though it was burning hot – only the tips of her fingers touching the device.

"W-will that be necessary?"

The koala shrugged. "Up to you, Officer Hopps. It is just a precaution for your safety. Now, if you would like to step through there and just follow Officer Stomp. Mr. Wilde should already be waiting for you."

The elephant led Judy through a maze of corridors. To her, one looked exactly like the next, and could only be distinguished by the numbers hanging on plain plates on the walls here and there.

She had entered a world of monochrome. Like in old photographs, the world was black and white, tinted sepia by the sickly yellow light coming from the ceiling. The faces of the wardens she saw among the way were heavy and sunken, with strict, mean eyes glinting from the shadows underneath their caps.

"No need to be nervous.", Officer Stomp said kindly. Judy wondered whether he had noticed her tension, whether it was written across her face so plainly. "Our security protocol is strict, nothing will happen to you. Wilde can be snarky. Just don't let him assume he has power over you."

Judy remembered just how snarky he could be. His nicknames for her were still present in her mind, and still made her twitch in anger and flush with a hint of embarrassment every time. Nick had never seen her as a proper cop, and she had never perceived him as a killer. Perhaps they had both been wrong.

"How is he doing here?", Judy inquired, trying to lift her mind away from bitter thoughts.

The elephant watched her closely, shrugged his large shoulders. "He's not caused trouble. He's made friends. He's become famous amongst the prisoners, for all I know. Been really tough, against the collars and all. Some guards pick on him because of it, and the prisoners celebrate him as a rebel."

Nick Wilde was a survivalist. Judy had learnt soon through their less tense encounter so long ago that the fox, a con artist back then, was good at shifting into whatever the situation needed him to be. She was not surprised that he had made a name for himself in prison. Surely, those grey walls had to be getting to him. They were getting to Judy, and she had only been here for less than twenty minutes.

They took another sharp turn around the corner and paused in front of a large set of double doors. Judy had no idea where she was any more. The thought of getting lost in this labyrinth got to her. Had they walked down stairs? There were no windows. Were they even above ground?

The fluorescent light above them flickered and hummed repetitively.

"Hey, is all this about the recent Pred attacks?", Stomp asked. Judy shifted awkwardly. Her feet had started tapping on the ground, getting quicker and more nervous each minute that passed.

"Yeah."

"What's Wilde gonna have to say about that?"

"I'm here to find out", Judy smiled weakly.

"He said all he knew back then, didn't he?" Stomp's tone was conversational, casual. The normality of the voice calmed Judy down just a little.

She shrugged. "Yeah. But back then he spouted a lot of stuff that no one was prepared to listen to."

"And that's changed?"

"Maybe. Now we need to consider every angle. Even his."

Stomp didn't reply. He pushed the door open and led Judy to another, securely locked, set of doors. As he pulled out the keys, Judy pulled the trigger remote from her pocket and held it in her paws. She shifted the bag she had brought with her, felt the edge of the case file inside it.

 _Plant your feet firm on the ground. Hold his gaze. Do not waver. No deals. You are in power. He will listen to you, and he will talk when asked to. His charm is a weapon. Disarm him. Don't hesitate with the remote._

She took a deep breath. Pushed her chest forward and kept her back straight. Her paw clenched around the remote.

"Officer Hopps, ready!" she announced, more to fire herself up than to assure Officer Stomp. The elephant glanced at her dubiously and opened the door. Judy marched right through, and willed herself not to flinch when it closed behind her.

* * *

The room was the same, mild grey colour as the rest of the building, with the same, flickering, fluorescent light shining clinically from above. In the middle of the room there was a single table, two chairs on opposite sites. The table was long enough for there to be no contact between those seated. One of the chairs was occupied.

The painfully familiar red fox glanced up with a mildly bored expression, his mouth opening for a dismissive remark, a sign of protest. His stance was defiant, but relaxed. His fur was not as shiny as she remembered it to be. It looked rustled and matted. He was wearing a grey jump suit and a collar that looked thicker and heavier than any Judy had seen before. It was high security alright. When his gaze met Judy's, she watched his emerald eyes widen. His open, sharp fanged mouth, twisted into a delighted smile.

"Is that…Well I'll be darned! Carrots! Officer Fluff!"

Judy puffed herself up and marched to the table, lightly jumping onto her seat. She remained standing there to be on the same height as him. With one abrupt, decisive motion, she slammed the case file down on the table and glared the fox down.

He was anything but intimidated. With the smile still adorning his lips, he started laughing. The cuffs keeping him at the table rattled as his body shook with laughter. "And here I thought they were sending a _real cop_! I can't believe it! This is just too precious. A fluffy, little bunny, _here._ Right in the Fox's den. Who did you mess with to be sent here? They must have wanted you to be eaten alive."

His grin was smug and mocking, half lidded eyes staring at her with obvious amusement. Judy's emotions wavered from fear to anger and back. "Are you quite done, Wilde?", she asked as coldly as she could. He leant back, looking uncomfortable in the stiff, rooted chair.

"No. You've got a coffee stain right on your nose, and I just can't take you seriously…"

Judy's paw reached up to her face as she felt for the stain. "What…", she murmured, thrown off guard. The fox's grin widened. It surprised Judy that his smile had not managed to split his face in halves yet.

"There…is no stain, is there.", she murmured quietly. The fox shrugged.

"Nope. And now I'm quite done. What can a humble fox like me do for you, Fluff?"

"First of all, you will refrain from calling me that."

"I can do that, Carrots."

"And that.", she huffed. "Know your place, Wilde! Refrain from addressing me so familiarly."

He rose an eyebrow and Judy thought she saw a hint of irritation in those green eyes.

"I know my place better than you know yours. Do you honestly think this is the place for a bunny? Miss ever-so-righteous herself thinks she can just march in here and set the rules? No. Nu-uh. Let me explain how this is going to go." He leant forward, and with every inch he came closer to her, Judy backed one away.

"You are here because you need my help. Is that not so? No, don't answer that. I know I'm right. You are obviously not here for pleasantries, despite the fact that I really did expect you to run in here maybe a week after my arrest and rub your pathetic little success into my face. Now. Seeing that you need my help, you have a lot to gain from me, and I stand to gain nothing from you. So how about you let me get away with my very appropriate nicknames for cute little you, and give me a good reason to continue having this conversation?"

He could smell her fear. The rabbit was sure of that. Her nose was twitching at the sight of his bared fangs. The green light on his collar – signifying a normal, relaxed state – haunted her, mocked her further. She felt the back of the chair bore into her back.

Nick took her stunned silence as encouragement and went on. "Look. You're clearly out of your depth here. You can't handle this. But, reasonable guy that I am, I'll take pity on you. I can play along. If you ask really, really nicely. Maybe turn around and shake that fluffy-wuzzy little tail of yours, and say: 'Please, Nick, I'm a dumb wittle bunny that needs your help!'"

He was enjoying this, she realized. This was probably the first time in a while that he had come into reach of someone new to toy with. With regained decisiveness she pushed back forward and laid the remote on the table in front of her, in plain sight of him. He moved back, eyeing it suspiciously.

"This is no conversation, Wilde. It is an interrogation. If you cooperate you gain the assurance that this will not become painful for you. Otherwise…" she prepared herself for the bluff. Was it a bluff? "Otherwise I will gladly make use of this."

She lowered her eyes to hint at the remote.

"Boring", Nick replied. He sunk back into his seat, and although he had not lost his composure, his smile, she was sure, had shrunk considerably. She caught alertness in his eyes now. He had pulled his guard up. "I'm almost disappointed", he continued. "Bad Cop doesn't suit you."

"Shut it, Wilde. Let's cut to the chase. I don't want to be here anymore than you do."

"Well that's just swell, because you get to _leave_."

"Tell me about the murder you committed. Everyone else went savage – you didn't. Why did you do it?"

"Oh, Gee.", Nick growled sarcastically. "That fat little sheep with its hideous flannel shirt and sandals looked just so appetizing to me! I thought to myself, hey, you know what would be great? Throwing away everything you've worked for, and mauling to death some prey that wasn't supposed to be there in the first place."

"Because you were at Wilde Times", Judy continued for him. "The…amusement park. The one you ran just for Predators."

"Thanks for reminding me, Officer. That had almost slipped my mind." He started tapping his claw on the table rhythmically, lazily.

Judy had one paw on the case file, shifted it uncomfortably. It took a few seconds of her glancing from the file back up at Nick for him to pick up and stare down at the simple brown folder.

"You're not here about that old story though…are you? I told your people everything a year ago, and none of you wanted to listen. What's changed?"

Judy breathed deep. "There have been a series of Predator attacks. Similar to last time, the victims mauled or eaten…but with the new collars, that shouldn't be possible."

Nick's smug smile slowly disappeared as he listened. The tapping on the table stopped, too. He looked at Judy straight for the first time it seemed, doubt in his eyes. "….so you came here, because you think I found a way to kill without setting off the collar.", he finished her thought.

She stared straight back at him, nodded. "The murders seem premeditated. Evidence stolen. We have not a single one of the murders on CCTV. So since you beat the system before…"

Nick leant back, went to fold his arms, and realized that the cuffs didn't allow him that sort of freedom. He was forced to stay straight, distract his hands only by clenching them.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Rabbit. But I never beat the system."

She had been prepared for defiance, denial, rebellious behaviour, but still Judy was stunned to hear that. "What do you…", she began, his answer already clear in her mind.

"Darling, I forgot your name. What was it again?"

"Officer Judy Hopps.", she answered numbly before she could think about it.

He leant forward, his eyes big and earnest now, no trace of mockery or humour in his voice or expression.

"Judy. I didn't kill that sheep."

Judy, struck by the sincerity in his voice, shifted back. She had to remind herself that he had tricked her before, that she had wanted to believe his ever shifting expressions before. She tensed, her lip a tight line.

"I don't want your lies again, Nick. It won't help you. I am only here for this murder investigation."

Nick threw his hands up in defeat, just rattling the chain. "Why! Oh Why, why, why won't you Prey listen? Is it so important to you to fear us? Does it mean so much to you to have entire species collared for your sense of superiority? Hopps! Open your eyes! I didn't kill that sheep, I couldn't have. And as long as your killer is collared, he couldn't either."

"Then the killer has found a way to remove his collar", Judy protested. "You've looked into that, haven't you? Where do they remove them? How? It's illegal, and has proven very, very dangerous! Those Preds could go savage any moment – to stop the bloodshed, every predator _needs_ to be collared."

Nick smiled bitterly. "Listen to yourself, jumping to conclusions. Here's what I think. Your killer wasn't collared, but it wasn't a predator."

Judy's amethyst eyes narrowed dangerously. " _Excuse me?_ "

"What, despite your big ears you didn't understand that? You heard me! Your killer might not be a Predator!"

"…It's not like Prey could ever go savage.", the bunny retorted, bewildered and amused at the idea. No, a bunny could never do such things. And neither could a sheep, or a cow, or…Nick sunk his snout down into his hands and groaned loudly.

"You dumb bunny. You dumb, small minded, silly, misguided little bunny."

To her own dismay, she felt her heart ache at those words. It felt as though they had this conversation for the second time, as though she had to stand up to him again just to assure the sly fox that she was not just meek prey. She felt her lips quiver and hardened her features as best as she could.

"Give me a lead on the people that remove the collars.", she demanded.

Nick glanced from the remote on the table up at her out of tired eyes full of disdain. He took a breath, paused for effect. When he spoke, his voice was harsh and spiteful.

"No."

"Nick, you don't get a choice here!"

"Disregarding if I know or don't know them, whoever removes collars out there is a saint in my books. You have no idea what it's like. You'll never know, and you'll never bother to understand."

"Nick, tell me! People are dying!"

"…. Prey is dying.", murmured the fox. "After all that happened, why should I care?"

Judy felt herself lose grasp of the conversation. He was not just defiant, he was without hope and interest. Whatever had kept this talk going before had disappeared. Nick Wilde was no longer interested in her. His gaze was one of cold indifference, which she suddenly felt was so much worse than his smug mockery.

In her despair she fumbled for the remote on the table and pulled it close, one finger looming over the button that would set his collar off. Lightly. She could not bring herself to shift her finger down to the red button. He watched her without mirth or life, his paw tensing around the edge of the table.

"Tell me. Help me, Nick.", Judy tried again.

"I won't confirm a conclusion for you that you've jumped to without evidence.", he said slowly. "If you want my help, you will have to listen to me."

"T-tell me!" She pressed her finger down until it just barely touched the button. It felt like a burning ember under her finger. He looked her straight in the eyes the entire time. If he was scared, he hid it well. Judy understood why the guards got unnerved around him. He wasn't frightened of them. Their threats didn't work. He was calling her bluff.

"No.", he repeated.

Judy closed her eyes and pushed her finger down.


	3. Chapter 3 - Regret

**Author's Note:** _Hey guys! This is a relatively uneventful (cough) chapter, and might be a bit short, but I will make up for it with chapter 4, which will be our looongest chapter yet! Hope you're all still enjoying it, because I sure am. You can expect the next chapter to be out within the next 2-3 days._

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **Regret.**

* * *

It was raining hard when Judy drove back into Centre Zootopia. The wind screen wipers on the police vehicle squeaked cheerfully every few seconds, building ambient noise with the water droplets continuously crashing down on the roof. The bunny had tried turning on the radio, but had failed to perceive anything but noise in her state of confusion.

Judy had her eyes focused on the wet road ahead, but she was driving the car on auto pilot, perceiving the cars rushing past her and the lights ahead changing occasionally only as though it was all in the distance – blurred and vague.

When her car finally rolled into her parking spot at the ZPD, she didn't leave the vehicle for minutes. Her head sunk down onto the steering wheel and her ears drooped back as she tried to distract her mind from Nick Wilde and focused solely on the sound of the rain. It was a sheer impossible task, seeing that her heart was still racing, in fear or anticipation she did not know.

The tame collar had given off a cruel _Zap_ sound, and Nick Wilde had flinched and cried out. She could still see him before her mental eye, hanging in his cuffs like a lifeless doll. For a few seconds, the chains had been the only things holding him in his seat. He was twitching, panting hard. Judy thought she had seen his eyes become glazed and watery, and drool settle in the fur around his snout. He looked so pained and, worse for her, startled at the punishment, that she had dropped the remote like a hot potato and jumped onto the table, murmuring his name "Nick!" over and over, with apologies, "Sorry, I – I shouldn't have – I didn't mean to-"interwoven in her sentences.

It had taken her all her will power to force herself back down into her own seat and fold her paws on the table to hide them trembling. She had felt guilty at once. And she had achieved nothing. Eventually Nick pulled himself back up into his seat and leant back, a weak, pathetic version of himself. His eyes looked tired, his ears had drooped back, and if she had perceived disinterest in his demeanour before, she now found uncharacteristic and unmistakeable hopelessness.

He had still been twitching, his clenched paws occasionally shaking suddenly and heavily. His expression was that of a beaten dog that had trusted, for a moment, wholeheartedly, and had been disappointed and betrayed. The way he looked at her had made Judy despise herself. But no more words crossed her lips. He refused to talk. Not a word. What had passed between them, she believed, had ruined any remainder of the strange, unfamiliar understanding they had perhaps once shared in a moment of playful hostility. Judy had stood, nothing proud about her stiff and tense body now, and had waved for the guards to take him away.

Nick had hung in their arms more than he had walked himself, and Judy thought, when he turned his head by the door, that he would surely declare his hatred. But all he had said, in a gentle, exhausted voice, was: "Come back when you're ready to listen, Hopps."

And with the ghost of a smile he had added: "I'll accept blueberries as an Apology."

Judy lifted her head and weakly bashed it against the stirring wheel, three, four, five times, murmuring "I am a dumb bunny…" to her defeated self. She could not hide away in the police car forever, and chief Bogo would want a report. A transcript maybe. She had work to do, important work, and as an upstanding Cop she could not let the citizens of Zootopia down!

Using an instilled sense of righteousness as fuel for energy, she pulled herself out of the car, slammed the door close, and marched into the ZPD.

She waited outside Chief Bogo's office whilst he took one call after the next. His voice sounded agitated, apologetic at times. When there was silence for more than a minute, finally, Judy knocked on the door and let herself in. Chief Bogo had his head in his hooves and was rubbing his temples, looking just about as tired as Nick had done when he had been dragged away. He looked up to register her. "Oh, Officer Hopps. Come in, won't you." His voice lacked the usual biting sarcasm. She closed the door behind her and pulled herself up onto a chair positioned in front of the chief's desk.

"Please tell me you have good news.", Bogo growled.

"Sir, I'm sorry Sir, but – but I think I am not the right person to deal with Nick Wilde. I was not able to extract any information from him. He insists… he insists, Sir, that he was never involved in a murder in the first place."

"One year and he is still on that act?", Bogo huffed. "Did he cause you any trouble?"

"No, Sir."

"So that was all for nothing. Well I hope you enjoyed your field trip, Hopps."

Judy hesitated, awkwardly shifting her position in the large seat. "He did say one thing, Sir, that perhaps we hadn't considered."

"Well spit it out."

"But it is rather ridiculous. He said the culprit could not have done this with a collar, so…either it is a collarless Predator or…Ridiculous, really. Or the culprit could be…Savage Prey."

Bogo stared at her silently, his hooves flat on the desk in front of him. Judy, nervous now, stammered quickly. "But that's silly, right? Prey couldn't go savage. And besides, Prey could never do something like this. We aren't that blood thirsty, right… Chief…?"

Chief Bogo heavily lifted himself out of his chair and stepped to the window, his giant frame blocking Judy's sight to the outside. He was a dark silhouette against a grey, pouring sky.

"Listen, Hopps. As a cop, you come across a lot of mammals in your life…many of them good, many of them dangerous. We have had our fair share of trouble with the Predators. But there is no denying that this city has forced them into a difficult situation."

"But it's necessary. They- they're dangerous."

"What I'm trying to say, Hopps, is that I'd be lying if I said I had only ever had trouble with predators. A mammal is dangerous not because of their species, but because of their will. There are murderers and thieves amongst Prey too, Hopps. The world isn't that black and white."

Judy stared down onto her paws, folded in her lap. Her vision blurred before her as her mind raced back over her conversation with Wilde, the strange delight in his eyes when he had seen her, the sincerity with which he had declared himself innocent. Could he have told the truth?

"Chief Bogo?"

The large mammal turned back to face her, his features made soft by exhaustion.

"What did Wilde say, a year ago?"

Bogo shrugged uncomfortably. "Honestly, Hopps…the case was rushed. The whole city was frightened. There was a protest at city hall when Bellwether explained what had happened. One wrong statement to the media, and the story was everywhere. They demanded he was put away at once. His interrogation fell short, and the evidence against him was crushing. I didn't get to speak to him, I'm not sure anyone did. He was behind bars before any of us could wrap our heads around it."

Judy remembered the media side of the story. No way in hell would anyone have believed the fox if he claimed his innocence. He was found in an illegal, shady, run down looking theme park, in a puddle of sheep blood. The disfigured corpse was right next to him. There was blood on his fangs, blood on his claws, and when he woke up, surrounded by police, he had been furious. Rumour had it that his collar didn't go off even once, but Judy was not too sure. She had been kept away from the crime scene with other tasks, and had only heard about it when Nick had been taken in and everything was over.

In her stomach she had the sickly, uncomfortable feeling that she may have made a mistake.

Perhaps she had asked the wrong questions. Perhaps she really had spoken to Nick expecting him to confirm what she thought: That predators were the culprit, that it was in their nature to kill so happily that there collars meant nothing. Perhaps she had sought for an excuse to have Predators even further removed. In the eyes of many citizens their communities were stains on the map of Zootopia. They were all so scared. They were all so hateful. And Judy, despite her act of righteousness, her firm believe in goodness, had given in to her fear as well.

"I'd like to try again.", Judy said slowly. She jumped up from her seat, clenched her little fists. "I'll speak to him again. I think – I think maybe I tried the wrong approach."

Bogo nodded lazily. "Fine, Hopps. I'll give Outback Island another call. You can go back over there first thing tomorrow morning. But this is the last time. If he isn't willing to cooperate, we can't waste police time on him."

Judy nodded eagerly. With new enthusiasm, hope rushed through her veins. She was off her seat and by the door within a second. "Thank you, Sir!"

She had almost closed the door behind her when she turned back and found Chief Bogo still facing her.

"Do you think he did it, Chief?"

The towering mammal shifted case files from the side of his desk to the centre, stared down at them long and hard.

"I think he needed to be sentenced. We would have had a riot on our hands otherwise. Mass panic. He had to be punished for the whole thing to blow over. Guilty or not…"

Bogo paused, sighed.

"Guilty or not, Nicholas Wilde was a scape goat."

* * *

Unpaid overtime should be forbidden, prison or not.

Nick Wilde folded a batch of grey jump suits and neatly stacked them onto a close by table. Every few seconds, his paw travelled up to his neck where he rubbed the sore skin. Each time he got close to where the collar had shocked him, he felt his mind return to the afternoon, and persistent disappointment and bitterness overcame him.

Nick could not quite explain it to himself, but somehow he had thought better of the bunny officer than he had of the rest of the police force. Their first encounter a year ago had gotten him an unjust traffic ticket, but that was no biggie. She could have gotten him into trouble for worse things had only she known. Back then he had mocked her, but beneath her proud talk of justice and making the world a better place he had perceived genuine good will and a sound, uncorrupted moral compass.

He had been too cynical back then to acknowledge it as a virtue, too caught up in his own hatred of those luckier than himself, but today his expectations of her had been rejected and destroyed, and he felt the loss of her righteous image bitterly.

When he had called out her bluff, she had proven him wrong. Never had he thought the meek, fluffy little bunny would exercise her unjust prey privilege over him like that and make use of a tool as cruel as his tame collar.

"trust no one, not even a dumb bunny…", he murmured to himself. "They're slyer than they look."

Nick was the only one left on laundry duty. He knew that Ryan was waiting by the open door tn the hall way, ready to step in if he got any bad ideas. The room smelt sourly of sweat and dirt on one side, and sweetly of soap on the other. The staff at the facility had promptly made him stay longer on duty than the others, since he had missed an hour of work thanks to his unscheduled appointment this afternoon.

Nick stared down at the clothes with terrible disdain. A blob of colour had invaded his world for a few minutes, and then thrust him back into the ocean of grey. Nick had not struggled to swim in it before, but now he was drowning. The stench, the tightness of the hallways, the terrible lack of anything at all, made him sick to the stomach. He almost welcomed the pain still occasionally buzzing through his neck, just to remind him that he was still alive.

The fox had started humming a song to liven up the monotone folding work when he thought he heard steps down the hallway. He looked up, his ears darting up, but couldn't hear anything else. It was quiet once again, and so Nick turned back to his work. It was less than a minute later that he heard steps behind him. There was a strange smell in the room, intermingling with the stench of unwashed clothes. Nick kept his eyes on his work, and smiled lazily.

"Ryan, buddy, if you're trying to sneak up on me, you're gonna have to try harder. But I'll hand it to you, big guy. You've been pretty damn qui-"

Before Nick was able to finish his sentence or turn around, a burning pain emitted from his side. The world blurred before his eyes. When he looked down to his waist he could only see a pool of red, swirling with the grey all around. The fox staggered, felt for his side, felt blood pouring. As quickly as the knife had entered his flesh, it had been pulled back out, leaving a gushing, gaping wound.

Nick was vaguely aware of steps distancing themselves in a hurry, but his mind had become a hot, burning mess intercepted with buzzes of pain. He collapsed onto the folding table, soaking the freshly folded clothes crimson. His claws tensed around freshly folded jumpsuits, and he dragged the pile down to the ground with him when he fell. With the cold hard floor against his head, his eyes threatened to close. A voice carried to his ears from far away.

"Wilde, get back to-" Good old Ryan was back. Relief tugged at Nick's frantically, irregularly beating heart. "Wilde? Wilde! Nick!"

Then the fox's world was devoured by black.


	4. Chapter 4 - Jump

**Author's Note:** _Tada. As promised Chapter 4 is a longer chapter this time. It will have to last you guys for the next 7 days, as I am on holiday. Chapter 5 however is written, so I will definitly update next weekend. To respond to one of the reviews, and to anyone else who might feel that Judy is a bit too harsh on Nick: I am not following exactly what I know of the old Zootopia story, mainly because I know too little, and because this is a sort of AU. I think in a darker world, Judy would be wise to he be cautious of a supposed killer. As always, hope you enjoy._

 **Chapter 4**

 **Jump.**

The next morning, Officer Judy Hopps was on her way to Outback Island with new found determination. Everything looked better in the day light, and the guilt and concern she had felt the day before had been replaced with a stern calm.

She had the radio turned up loud and the window rolled down. Crisp early spring air rushed past her ears. Judy was convinced that she would find some lead with Nick Wilde's help. He knew something – she was sure of that, even if that something was not exactly the answer they were looking for.

Killer or not, the fox had once claimed to know everyone. Judy found herself believing him. Perhaps she would find herself believing him when it came to other matters also. Had he killed that sheep? Maybe. Maybe not. After her conversation with chief Bogo, the righteous and somewhat wishful voice in her head told her to keep an open mind.

The bunny cop had brought a Tupperware container full of blue berries from her family's farm, and was certain that together with a more open mind set and perhaps less remote-control, Nick would be willing to forgive her and confide in her.

A few clouds decorated the otherwise bright morning sky. The bridge to Outback island momentarily offered her a great view of the sparkling channel.

Sometimes 'Tomorrow is another day' was actually followed by a better day. The bunny sang along to the lyrics on the radio and enjoyed the ride. Even the looming presence of the jail complex could not intimidate her today. She was out to do the right thing, and make the world a better place!

By the time she passed through the gates of the compound and confidently stepped out of her car, she had several messages on her phone blinking for her attention. Judy however had carelessly put the phone into her pocket. She checked her bag, assured herself that she had a copy of the case file, the fox repellent she had been reminded by her father to take along, and the blueberries of course.

It wasn't until she was inside, leaning on the desk with the glass wall that separated her from the koala receptionist, that the smile was wiped off her face with a few simple words.

"Officer Hopps? You're here again for Nick Wilde?" The lady paused for effect, or perhaps it was simple hesitation. Judy couldn't quite read her expression. It was grim. Or perhaps just tired. "Something happened."

Nick Wilde couldn't remember being in this much pain before, with the exception of a few years ago, when a Bison had caught onto a hustle and beaten him to a pulp over a lousy few dollars.

He felt the bruise on his arm first, although it was the lesser evil, and then noted the tremendous pain at the side of his waist second. His lids felt too heavy for him to open his eyes, and his head was fuzzy and numb. They had put him on pain killers when he had woken in the night only to pass back out screaming when his collar went off from feverish panic and pain.

In the merciful blackness his closed eyes enveloped him in, he could pretend that he was safe, and that the numbness all over his body was just the result of an especially deep sleep. Without interrupting the darkness, he perked his ears and listened. There was the beeping of a heart monitor machine and the rustling of a newspaper. Someone familiar to him cleared their throat, a deep, guttural noise. Ryan. Nick faintly remembered Ryan finding him when he had been curled up on the floor in a puddle of his own blood. His lips twitched into a distorted smile. There was another noise too. A constant, impatient tapping against the pristine floor of the prison infirmary. The tapping grew quicker and more obnoxious with every few passing seconds, and was eventually underlined by a small weight pushing down the cot on which he lay.

His calm ruined by general discomfort, Nick forced his eyes open and immediately flinched back further into the single pillow on the (slightly more comfortable than his cell) cot. Wide, amethyst bunny eyes were staring down at him with obvious concern. The eyes blinked. The nose twitched violently. A bunny paw was pressing the mattress down on one side.

"Mr. Wilde?", murmured the concerned Bunny.

"Carrots?" Nick pulled a disdainful smile. "If I am dreaming you, I am very disappointed with my subconscious. Please, stop tapping your foot. Sounds like thunder to my headache."

She huffed at him. The tapping of her foot on the floor finally stopped.

"Wilde…Nick. What happened? They told me you were stabbed."

The fox made an effort to sit up. The tight bandages around his waist restricted his motion at first, and his right paw was pulled back during the motion. A chain rattled. He was cuffed to the cot. Of course. With a silent sigh the prisoner surveyed the infirmary. There were two further cots, both empty, and a barred window looking out onto the wide river. The rhino guard, Ryan Thick, was sitting on a chair by the door, calmly browsing through a newspaper.

Nick scanned the bunny officer for a remote control, but could not find one in her hand. She had a casual backpack swung across her shoulder. The only weapon he saw on her was the tranquilizer gun on her belt.

"Yeah…that's about as much as I remember too.", Nick murmured. He lifted his free paw in greeting. "Ryan, old boy. You were there."

The bunny turned her head to eye the guard by the door. Unbeknownst to the injured fox, the guard had insisted to watch over him and take on the guard duty during his visit. Now the rhino was folding his newspaper in his lap and looked up, eyes tired and features grim. As always.

"Don't ask me, Wilde. By the time I found you laying in the laundry room, there was no one else in sight. But don't worry. They'll look through the security footage sometime today."

"Sometime today, huh?", Nick rose an eyebrow. "Glad to know they care for me so much."

Without looking up from the title page of the paper, the Rhino shrugged. "They don't."

It was the bunny's turn to get exasperated on Nick's behalf. She was turning between the two men so hastily that it looked as though she was dancing on the infirmary floor, shifting her little feet around with frantic energy. "Bu-but that's terrible! We need to find out what happened, and why! Mammals don't just get stabbed for no reason."

Nick leant back into the pillow, his thoughts racing. In the bunny's expression he found a sincere combination of concern and remorse. She looked at him as though she truly regretted ever having hurt the poor fellow. After all she was not carrying the collar remote, at least not openly. And…Nick's nostrils widened as he sniffed the air. The metallic scent of blood, sweat in his own fur, thick, sweet smelling medicine…and was that….blueberries?

Within seconds he had put together a plan in his head. His heart was racing with the giddiness of it. He clutched his wound, wiped the smile of his face. He willed his eyes to dart across the room with concern.

"I don't understand…", he said just loud enough for the bunny to hear. "Before yesterday, I wouldn't have thought I had any enemies in this place…"

The bunny's ears shot up eagerly. She was ready to play detective, piece together the motives and suspects. "Before yesterday?", she repeated. Her eyes widened and she tapped her foot excitedly. "O-oh. I saw you yesterday! This…this isn't because of me, is it?"

She fell for it hook, line and sinker. Nick shrugged innocently. Let the mark think of the answer themselves – let them offer you what you want. Make it their idea.

"Don't take too much credit, Carrots…I am in a high security prison. The place is full of predators after all. The only reason there is rarely any violence here is because of the collars."

"Wait – the collars!"

"Besides, I sure didn't tell any other inmates about our little meeting yesterday…"

"Inmates! I know! The only people that knew were the Chief, the receptionist, Officer Stomp and me!" The bunny's face fell with shock. "But that means…it means your attacker…Oh, no. Nick, Nick, what were you going to tell me? What does someone want to shut you up about?"

Nick feigned fright. He widened his eyes, let his ears fall back, and awkwardly shifted back on the cot. "Fluff, hang on a minute…I can't talk about this here. You saw what happened…Listen, Carrots, I don't want any trouble. My life might not be exactly great, but I sure as hell don't want to die!"

The bunny's excitement at having come to a conclusion faded from her features rather quickly. She blinked at him, her little brain working hard behind her furrowed brows. She stepped closer to Nick's cot, placed her paws gently beside him.

"You're not going to die, Nick. You survived his attack…they will find whatever member of the prison staff did this, and the culprit will be taken care off. He'll have a lot of explaining to do!"

"No- No.", Nick violently shook his head. He regretted it immediately when the headache came back with a vengeance. "You don't understand – they don't care what happens to me. You heard Ryan say it! They won't bother! I'm just a predator to them…Please, Carrots. I want to help you. But somebody here doesn't want me to do that."

The cop had taken a hesitant step back from his cot and was watching him intently. Nick played his act well, but he didn't have to. He wasn't lying. If the bunny decided to leave him there, he might very well end up murdered within the next few days. He knew what they didn't want him to say. It hadn't mattered before because no one would have listened – but the bunny had come back to do just that. She was just about willing to maybe believe his unlikely story. Even if the culprit was found, they'd send another one. And another one.

Nick's stance was submissive. He had his tail quite literally between his legs and was looking at Judy pleadingly. _Come on, Carrots…come on. You feel bad you shocked me. You want to make up for it. Come on…you believe me…I know you do…_

But her gaze was full of doubt. He realized with painful resignation that she still believed she had once misjudged him, still believed that he had somehow killed without a shred of remorse. She didn't want to make the same mistake again. She didn't want to fall for his trick. He very much wanted her to fall for it.

"Judy.", he pleaded. "Please…"

She turned to Ryan, seeking some sort of hint in his face. Nick too turned to the Rhino and his face fell. It was obvious to him at once that the guard knew exactly what he was up to. Ryan was staring back at him with warning, dark eyes, blowing air out of the side of his snout. He had his strong arms folded, the newspaper had slid off his lap uncared for. Nick's shoulders sunk in defeat.

Then, to the fox's surprise, the Rhino looked up at Judy and nodded. A single, barely notable nod. Yet it was enough for the bunny. She turned her back to both of them and pulled her phone out of her pocket, dialled a number lightning fast, and held the little device to one of her long ears.

"This is Officer Hopps. Mhm. Yes, I read your texts. I went anyway."

She began pacing, listening intently.

"We need to move him. I need a secure transport van and maybe two more officers. Yes, I'm sure. Yes, he knows something. No, he won't talk. I'll make him. Sir, with all due respect. If a citizen is in danger for his life, no matter who it is….yes, but, Sir…I….yes. I will vouch for him."

Her eyes were nervous, maybe scared. Nick, who kept up his humble stance the entire time, saw her looking back at him with uncertainty. She had to convince her superiors for him. Of course no one thought it was a good idea. How many security protocols would they abandon with such a hurried transport?

"Yes, I can do that. Okay. Okay. Thank you, Sir! I won't let you down."

Painfully slowly, the bunny lowered the phone and clicked the call away. She turned back to Nick, stared him down with a stern intensity that made him shrink back in earnest. The little dumb bunny had some fire in her, he had to admit. He almost felt bad for double crossing her. He swallowed, waited. She kept him waiting for a torturing minute.

"We will transport you to a secure location in one hour.", she said. "You will be cuffed. I _will_ carry a remote. And when we get there you _will_ tell me everything you know. I want names. One wrong move, Wilde…"

The fox nodded eagerly. He thought he saw out of the corner of his eyes how Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, Officer."

Judy sunk down on a stool by his bedside. He tried to make himself comfortable and put no strain onto his wound. It was hard to relax under her relentless, watchful stare. He even pulled on the handcuff chaining him to the bed to remind her that he was not going anywhere. It took him a while to realize that it was not suspicion that kept her close, but something else.

After ten long, silent minutes, she reached into her back. Nick almost expected her to pull out the shock remote again just to make herself feel a little safer, but instead she pulled out a Tupperware container. When Nick realized the contents of the box, his eyes lit up.

"Fluff! Those for me? Oh, you really needn't have…" he said, already reaching his free paw out for the box. His smile stretched from one pointed ear to the other.

She pulled the box away, just a few centimetres out of reach. His smile dropped.

"Oops.", the bunny retorted. It was her turn to smile smugly. "Did you want something? Funny, because I seem to remember me asking you nicely yesterday, and still not getting what _I_ wanted."

"You call zapping me asking nicely?", growled the fox. He scowled at her, wriggling his outstretched claws in the air despite the fact that he would never reach the blueberries as long as he was cuffed to the bed.

"I was going to make up for it with blueberries, but it seems I am making up for it by, oh, I don't know…saving your pelt!"

"Yes, yes, and I am a very grateful fox. Really. I love ya, I owe ya, now, come on, Carrots. Don't leave me hanging! Do you have any idea what they feed me in here?"

He was half hanging in the air, stretching his stabbed waist. The strain of it started to hurt badly. He had to lean back into the cot, his scowl distorting into a grimace. As if to torture him further, the bunny opened the box and took a sniff of the blueberries that, admittedly, smelled like the best blueberries he would ever have tasted. To add insult to injury she went ahead and offered them to Ryan, who raised a hand and denied silently.

"What do you want to hear?", Nick whined.

The bunny smiled slyly. Nick swallowed. He knew he wouldn't like the answer.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe you could turn around and shake your fuzzy little tail, and say "Please, Officer! I am just a dumb fox!""

Nick narrowed his eyes at her, but in amidst his annoyance he couldn't deny feeling at least a little amused. Ryan had pulled the newspaper back up to hide his smirk.

"I'll say please. Take it or leave it."

"Deal."

* * *

Judy Hopps prayed that she had made the right decision.

In the daylight the small window in the infirmary had provided, Nick Wilde hadn't looked so frightening. It had helped of course that he had been chained to a bed with his shirt unbuttoned and the bandages visible underneath them. It had helped that he had wanted, no, needed Judy's help. Last but not least she could not be frightened of someone so sincerely happy about her family's delicious blueberries. Nick had needed her help, like any other innocent, endangered citizen. It was a cop's job to save his life.

But he wasn't innocent.

…Right?

A part of the Officer's mind really hoped he was. She would feel a lot better about risking her job for an innocent person than she would for a murderer. But surely, if she believed Nick to be such a bad animal she would not have done any of this in the first place. The bunny had no choice but to trust her gut instinct, and somehow that instinct told her to believe in Nicholas Wilde.

Chief Bogo had not been happy with the idea of taking Nick out of a high security prison and transporting him in the company of just two other officers. It was risky – very much so. But the force was worn thin by the murders shaking the city. There had been news about further unrests at the borders to predator communities too. If Nick Wilde, notorious criminal or not, could help them solve the issue, it would be worth it. That was as long as Nick Wilde did not indulge himself in further killings.

Judy swallowed heavily and looked up at the fox walking by her side. She had cuffed his paws behind his back, but had undone that action when he had winced and whined and shifted uncomfortably. She had looked him up and down dubiously, and he had forced a smile and said, in a pained tone, "I'm fine, carrots. Injury's acting up, is all…"

Judy had offered to cuff his hands in front of him instead, and he had humbly assured her that he could take it, and then just grimaced further. She didn't like to see him, or anyone for that matter, in pain, so she cuffed his hands in front of his stomach with a stern warning.

"Thank you, Officer. I appreciate it. I shan't cause you any trouble. So kind, really."

She should have noted his sarcasm. She should have dropped her own feeling of generosity and proud righteousness and paid closer attention to his tone, the lightness of his step, the mirth in his eyes.

No one stopped them. At the reception, the rhino, officer Thick, exchanged a few words with the koala at the desk. The chief of police had called them beforehand and explained the move and the reason for its urgency, with the assurance that they would bring the prisoner back into their capable care once they found the culprit and had what they wanted from the fox.

Judy kept her paw on Nick's elbow so that she could grab him if it should become necessary. His legs were shackled with about as freedom as his hands. He could walk easily, but running would be hard. She had the keys for the cuffs in her pocket so they could manoeuvre him easily. In the same pocket rested the remote control for the shock collar. She had her free paw hovering above the clothe separating her and the essential device at all times. If he acted up, she would press it and be done with it. She had done it before and she could do it again.

When they stepped out of the fluorescent light of the claustrophobic indoors, Judy welcomed the fresh air and the cold that came along with the overcast sky. It had begun to rain slightly. She was stepping straight ahead. A van had been prepared for them. Officer Higgins and McHorn stood by its side and waited by the open backdoor. Judy was heading straight towards it, when Nick stopped dead next to her. She was about to protest, about to reach for her weapon, when she looked towards him and just found him standing open mouthed with his nose pointing towards the sky.

She thought she saw water in his eyes, and it sure as hell wasn't the rain. His usually smugly smiling lips were pressed tightly together and his fists were clenched and shaking. Judy hesitated, decided to give him a moment as he absorbed every single tiny rain drop that graced his fur.

"Come on.", she said gently after a few seconds had passed, and he looked first at her, then at the van, and his eyes set hard. He gave her a short, abrupt nod and moved forward, fidgety and on edge.

"You're not gonna press that button again, are you, Fluffs?", he asked without looking at her. He had said it quietly enough for Higgins and McHorn not to notice. She bit down onto her lip, stared at the ground.

"Not if you behave."

"I'm starting to get scared of police brutality." He said it with a faint smile, jokingly, but she did perceive a note of nervousness in his voice. "You're not taking me from the fire into the frying pan, are you?"

Judy tried to smile encouragingly, only to wonder why. "No way.", she assured him, before forcing herself to stand firmer. She had to stop letting him play the victim! "Besides, you are going to talk without any trouble now. That's right, isn't it, Wilde."

With the gravest of expressions, he ducked his head and stepped up into the van.

Higgins and Judy herself took a seat in the back. Judy shared a bench with the cuffed Fox whilst Higgins sat opposite them, his eyes firmly glued on Nick, who in turn glanced out of the open doors towards the prison complex he was about to leave. Ryan Thick was standing by the entrance in the mild rain, staring back to them with a bored, or perhaps concerned, expression. Judy couldn't quite tell. But she took note that Nick nodded towards him with a grateful sincerity she didn't know the reason for.

McHorn finally closed the doors, reducing the light in the back of the van to a narrow fluorescent light bulb at the ceiling, and the small rectangle of light flowing in from the window. Soon enough the engine started roaring and they took off. Judy was so close to Nick that she thought she could feel his heartbeat racing. She didn't look at him, and he didn't look at her. It was Higgins who did all the staring.

They drove on in silence for a good ten minutes. Judy didn't like it in the back of the van. It felt dark and claustrophobic, just like the prison had done, and she struggled to keep track of the emotions passing Nick's face. She couldn't tell whether he was frightened, relaxed, nervous or…determined.

In her mind, Judy recounted the journey from the city to the prison, and counted the minutes to figure how far they were. They would be getting close to the bridge crossing the river soon, and then they'd be back in what could be considered the main city. Not that much more of the journey left, she noted with some relief.

They rattled over a speed bump as they ran over the bridge, and then the whole large vehicle shook and tilted with the force of a hole in the street. Judy remembered it from her way there twice now, but hadn't quite expected what sitting in a van sideway would do to her when the vehicle shook. She found herself sliding against Nick, who in turn slid towards the wall, and they both got thrown about for a second. She hit her head on the wall of the van.

The road settled again and all three of them took a deep breath. Higgins had cold sweat on his forehead. When Judy asked him if he was quite alright, he just said: "It's the tightness. Get a bit claustrophobic."

She was in the process of nodding understandingly when a chain came down before her face and pulled back. The bunny shrieked in horror. Nick's arms had come down on either side of her, with the chain between his hands pressing her firmly against his slender chest. "Wi-"she was about to protest when she felt something press against the side of her neck. She held her breath. Higgings jumped up from his seat when the road threw him back down onto the bench. He was reaching for his tranquilizer gun but something made him hesitate.

It didn't take Judy long to figure that what the fox was holding against her head was her own pistol. She felt her side and found her holster empty.

"Nobody move.", Nick demanded calmly. Judy barely heard him next to her own frantic heart beat and the blood rushing through her ears. She struggled mildly, Nick just held her tighter.

"STOP MOVING, Carrots", he shouted into her ear. The bunny flinched. "Knock on the wall.", the fox demanded of Higgins. "Stop the car."

"Wilde. Don't do anything you'll regret", said the hippo officer. "All you have there is a tranquilizer gun. You can't do much with that, now, ca-"

"Oh, yes I can.", Nick said calmly. "Knock on that wall and STOP THE CAR, or I swear I will first shoot her, then rip out the dart, and drag it all across her nicely exposed throat. You don't want to see Hopps blood spilled, do you?"

"Your collar won't-"

"I am Nicholas Wilde. I dare you – try me.", Nick smiled. Judy could hear him smile. She tried to reach the pocket with the remote, and was smacked across the hat with the pistol. "You looking for something, Officer?", Nick asked sweetly. Higgins had leant over and knocked firmly on the wall to the front. The car came to a stop.

"You need to work on your poker face, fluff. Constantly having your paw at your pocket made it kind of obvious. Now. Open the doors."

Higgins did as he was told. Judy saw the fear on his face and found herself surprised. She herself was scared, and yet not as terrified as she thought she should be. She looked onto her own capture as though it was happening to someone else. In the back of her mind she just numbly repeated her defeat. He got her again. He had her again. She had made the same mistake a second time, made the mistake to trust the fox.

With the doors open, Nick shifted him and her both outside. A very confused officer McHorn had slipped out of the driver's seat and stared at them with widening eyes. "Where do you think you're going, Wilde!"

He pulled them backwards. Judy saw the van, and the low wall of the bridge behind it, and beyond…water. Her eyes widened and her nose started twitching when she realized what would have to be behind them, too. There was no way to escape the bridge. No way that didn't involve…

Thump. Their combined bodies hit the wall, and Judy, struggling, realized that her captor had jumped up onto the low wall and was pulling her with him. She didn't dare look back. Didn't dare look down. Her right foot felt the edge of the wall behind her.

Distantly, she heard her own voice. She was begging in a high pitched tone. "No-no-no, Nick, you'll kill us, Nick, please, no-no, you can't do that. Nick, let's talk about it, okay? Nick, we can talk this out. You'll regret this. Let's come down and talk about it", and so on, and so on. It was an endless stream of unheard pleas, going under in the horrified sobs escaping her tightly entrapped throat.

His snout was next to her face. She saw him from the corner of her eyes, his green eyes, staring back at her, his fangs exposed. White needles confined in his tense smile. "Carrots. Just so you know.", he whispered almost tenderly. "It's nothing you did. Wish me luck, sweetheart!"

And with those words he lifted the hand cuff chains over her head. Then the weight of his body behind her was suddenly gone. The world was moving in slow motion. Judy turned around on the edge to see him falling away, smiling at her, the rushing river beneath him.

She remembered herself thinking that he was crazy. And then she remembered herself thinking that she was crazy too. Because she reached out and grabbed the hand cuff chain, shouting against the rushing wind and her own racing thoughts: "YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE, NICK WILDE!"

Then his weight dragged her off the edge with him.

And they fell.

* * *

 _Another Author's Note:_

 _I am aware that this chapter is sort of full of plot conveniences. As a writer, I would understand if I let some of you down with how I handled this escape, however I had to remind myself that this is casual writing for me, and if I start fussing over too much logic, I will lose enthusiasm and stop writing this fanfic all together. So for the sake of this story continuing, I hope you can excuse the fact that this high security prison is hardly very secure. See you all next week!_


	5. Chapter 5 - Embers

_**Author's Note:** Back from holiday, so here is chapter 5! Glad to see the following to this story ever growing. I am really happy about any reviews or notes of encouragement, so please let me know what you think and keep in contact! I will be able to continue writing from sunday onwards, so hopefully it will soon be back to regular update times. (whatever those are.) As always, enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **Embers.**

* * *

" _Dad, look here! Dad! Hey!"_

 _A small red fox was standing on the edge of a stone bridge, his fists clenched in excited anticipation. He was dressed only in swimming trunks and a child tame collar, but his whole person shun through the giddy joy in his green eyes. The boy was waving to an older, slender red fox down by the river bank, and his smile grew when the fox finally turned towards him._

 _The older fox's face dropped, and so did the popsicles he had just taken out of a camping fridge._

" _Nick? Nicky! You come back down here RIGHT this moment!", stammered the concerned father. Little Nick wasn't even thinking about coming down. It was their third time camping out on Outback Island, in the woods, where no one bothered them and they could do what they wanted. Nick liked to play Robin Hood when he was out there, and pretend he was the bravest of all foxes. He needed to be, if he was going to be a great junior ranger scout._

" _Dad, it's not that high!"_

" _Yes, Nick, it is! Come back down. Have a popsicle! You can go swimming again later." His father tried to put on a fatherly strict voice, but little Nick knew he could get away with it if only he didn't hesitate too much longer._

" _I'm gonna jump!", he declared proudly. His father's jaw dropped open once more, he was wringing his hands, tail whacking about aimlessly._

" _You might hit your head!"_

" _There's nothing down there, Dad. It's real deep water! I swam there lots of times!"_

 _There was no convincing him otherwise. The little fox bent his knees and wrapped his tail around him, closed two fingers of his paw around his nose, and jumped._

 _He made himself small and round in the air, and hit the water what felt like an eternity away. It hurt. Even the slight angle on his fall caused him to hit the surface hard and square, and he was gasping and crying when he emerged from the surface. His father, by the riverbed, stood frozen in terror, and came running into the water to get him. Nick allowed himself to be swept up in his father's arms and cried to his heart's content._

" _There, there. You'll be alright….I told you, Nicky. You need to hit the water really straight if you don't want it to hurt. It's alright now….no more of that, yeah? Come have a popsicle. Can you breathe alright again? See, it's fine…now, we don't need to mention this to your mother, do we. It can be our little adventurous secret."_

 _The crying boy slowly calmed and wiped his tears away with a brave nod._

" _I wanted to be brave", he sobbed._

" _You are, my boy.", laughed the father. "but listen, Nick, it's good to overcome your fear. But sometimes it is better to run away than it is to be brave. You don't have to pick every fight, hm? Robin Hood had to run away from some things too."_

" _But not from water!", Nick giggled._

" _No, maybe not. But you're only little, and we all start afraid when we're little."_

 _Nick set his feet down onto the dry ground and rummaged through the camping fridge for a popsicle. The pain, apart from the stinging all across his chest, was almost forgotten._

" _Am I gonna be afraid when I'm a grown up?", asked the boy. He didn't notice that his father was rubbing his neck where the fright for his falling son had activated his collar._

" _Who knows. You're braver than your old man. I'm still afraid all the time."_

" _What are you afraid of, Dad?"_

 _The fox father didn't reply. He ruffled the fur on Nick's head and reached past him to grab a popsicle himself. It took a few licks of the treat before the racing of his heart had calmed down._

* * *

Nick Wilde suffered several seconds of disbelief before he hit the water. His eyes widened when he saw the bunny falling after him, and her expression, in return, was startled and wide eyed. She could not grasp herself what she had just done, and Nick didn't even want to try to begin to understand.

There was no returning her to the edge however. She was holding on to his hand cuffs with all her might, and they were in mid-air, just waiting for the impact. And the impact came, cold enveloping the fox as though hundreds of icy little hands had reached up to pull him into the depth. He landed as straight as he could, taught by so many failed attempts in his childhood, and had it not been for the unexpected bunny companion he would not have been hurt at all. Now however he failed the straight entrance by a few degrees, and was greeted by stinging pain all over his back.

The impact knocked the air out of his lungs and he felt himself sink, the bunny right above him. Nick couldn't see her move. He was swallowed by darkness, the light of the surface distant above him. They fell deep, until Nick's momentum had slowed down, and it no longer pained him to hit the river ground. He had snapped back into attention enough to push himself off of the ground and up, gasping for air when his head broke through the surface.

The relief that flooded over him kept him occupied for a few seconds before he realized that the bunny had not come up with him. He looked about the river, paddling pathetically to not be carried away by the slow but constant current. "Fluff? Carrots!", he called, aware of the looming threat of police officers perhaps ten metres above him.

He cursed the bunny inwardly. He had had no intention of sending her flying into the river with him, and he certainly had no intentions of dragging her about now! He had to run, flee, leave, before the police officers could get down the cliff and catch up with him.

….But he also couldn't let her drown.

"Urgh, Wilde. Why so opposed to another murder charge?", he murmured to himself. Then he took a deep breath and went back under.

He could feel panic built up within him when he didn't see her at first. His collar was sending tiny warning shocks across his fur that he just managed to ignore. _Calm down. You'll find her. It's all good._ And he did find her. She was hovering in the depth with the current tugging at her ears and clothes. The passiveness with which she let herself be carried by the water reminded Nick of a corpse. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled both of them up with the strongest strokes he could manage.

"Carrots, stay with me, okay?"

She was hanging limply in his arms.

With his legs he kept them both above water whilst the current took them away. Nick wanted to get some distance between himself and the police before he would even try to get out of the water.

When they were around a curve and the bridge was nearly out of sight, Nick dragged the two of them onto the stone river bank. He felt heavy from all the water weighing down his clothes. Each step he took, droplets rained down from him onto the white stone and formed a pathetic puddle in which he finally laid down the rabbit.

He knelt down beside her, observed her. Nothing. When a few seconds had passed and the bunny was still not moving, or jumping, or talking, or…Nick moved his ear next to her mouth and listened, his green eyes slowly widening.

Or breathing.

"Carrots? Hey, this is no way to get back at me…Carrots…Bunny…. OFFICER HOPPS! AAAA-TEN-TION!"

But nothing would get her to react. Of course not, Nick thought with a returning sense of panic. She wasn't breathing. He jumped up, paced a few steps with his paws wringing, then returned to her side. His collar had returned to giving him several little shocks, all annoying and painful, none enough to lessen his determination.

He put his paws onto her chest and pressed them down, hesitant to crush her tiny bunny chest. Could he perform CPR the same way on a bunny? Without breaking her? He took a deep breath, covered her nose, and exhaled into her mouth. Repeat.

The fox kept up the procedure desperately for maybe ten times before the bunny showed signs of life. He was just about to push his snout against hers again when she instead spat a mouthful of water into his face. He shook the water off and, with a hand on her shoulder, rattled her lightly.

There was even more water in her tiny body that had to be spit out. At last she rolled onto her side of her own accord, emptying herself off the remaining unwelcome liquid in her. She was coughing and trembling, a small, furry mess of anguish, but Nick had fallen back with a delighted smile on his lips. Relief broke over him like a wave. He felt a surge of adrenaline run through his body and jumped up, giddy excitement lightening every one of his motions. He was picking up water in his paws and threw it up into the air, watching the droplets glitter with all the colours in the light.

He felt the pebbles on the stone bank, ran his paws across the smooth, white surface, crawled on all fours towards the edge of the river bank to feel the mud beneath his hands. His eyes grew wider and happier each second, and soon he was laughing at the top of his lungs, freedom making his heart jump with euphoria.

The red fox felt tears of joy cloud his vision. He swirled back across the stone like a dancer and swept the bunny officer up in his arms. "Carrots!", he squealed. "I made it! I made it out of there! I'm free! Ha! And all thanks to you, my little fluffy friend!" He turned himself around, making her swing in his arms as he drew circles. Her eyes were open, but she was limp in his arms.

"You cannot _imagine_ how great this feels! The water! The air! The wind! I'm _freezing_ and I _love_ it! Oh, I could kiss you, Carrots!"

Nick was holding her high in the air and would have indeed drawn her into a passionate embrace, had her expression not shifted from barely awake stupor to wide eyed fear. With her twitching nose she flinched in his arms, her ears flat against her head, and he saw her panicked attempt to find anything useful in her pockets. But he had already taken the remote and the pistol from her – the latter he had lost somewhere in the water but forgotten about. When she found nothing she fell back limp in resignation. The only thing left in her pockets now would have to be…keys.

Nick's sincere smile transformed back into his confident smug grin. "Don't worry, Carrots. I think I've had enough lip contact with you for a life time. Now then." He dropped her onto the ground quite suddenly, simply letting her slip out of his paws. She landed with a surprised squeal.

With one paw he held her faintly struggling body against the ground, with the other he fished the keys to the handcuffs out of her pocket. It took some pulling and tugging until he had managed to draw them out of her wet, and hence tight, trousers. Judy tried to grab his paw as he pulled away, but he easily removed her grip, finger by finger.

"This was fun, and all, but I must be off. Don't worry your little head, bunny. Your police friends will find you here soon enough, so just wait for them here." He turned to step away, dangling the keys from his paws. "And thanks again! Couldn't have done it without ya."

To his surprise, he didn't get far. A bunny paw had clenched around his left foot and almost made him trip. He turned back, tried to kick her off lightly. "Listen, Carrots, you are barely awake so-"

But he needn't have bothered. The bunny had passed out again, her paw like a second iron cuff around his ankle. With a sigh the fox bent down to gently scoop the bunny up in his arms once more.

* * *

A sore dryness had spread in Judy's throat. Ironic really, seeing that she had nearly drowned some time ago. How much time had passed? She could not tell where she was – but it was dark. No sunlight assaulted her blissfully closed eyes, but there were shadows dancing before her closed eyes, moved by some light source in the world of the awoken.

The bunny opened her eyes carefully as to not alert anyone around her. She appeared to be alone at first, but then her sensitive ears picked up the sound of breathing nearby. She pushed herself up onto her elbows and surveyed her surroundings out of suspiciously narrowed eyes.

A fire was crackling just a meter away from her, enveloping her whole body in pleasant warmth and moving dancing shadows on the wooden walls of what looked from the inside to be an abandoned shack. The place was overgrown and looked brittle. Smoke escaped through various large gaps in the ceiling through which Judy could see the starry night sky. She was unharmed. Someone had undressed her down to her under shirt and trousers. The rest of her clothes and her bag were laid out by the fire, drying stiffly.

How had she gotten here? Her memory was fuzzy. She faintly remembered the icy touch of the water, like thousands little needles to her skin. She had remembered watching Nick Wilde hit the surface first, the smugness wiped off his face by her daring pursuit. The pursuit! Oh, what had she been thinking? And Wilde?

Suddenly panicked, the bunny frantically scanned the room. What had that breathing sound been?

And there he was. Leaning against one of the more solid looking posts by the wall, his eyes closed and his breathing gentle, sat Nick. His fur had dried ruffled and untidy, and he too was down to his under garments. Judy should have noticed the jump suit drying on the other side of the fire…

She tensed all over just trying to keep still. The fox had rid himself of the handcuffs and shackles and looked overall rather relaxed. Judy felt for her pistol. Gone. For the keys. Gone. For the remote – gone, of course. She sunk down onto her back and pushed her paws into her eyes. Stupid bunny! Stupid, stupid, stupid! What had she been thinking? Why had she let Wilde get away with tricking her again? She should have seen through his innocent, helpless act!

She looked Nick over once more, tried to find a vantage point. The bandages around his waist looked loose and muddy. His wound must have broken open lightly at some point during the day, because the fabric was spotted with blood. No lethal amount. The bunny found herself relieved at that observation, although she should have been more concerned with herself. She had nearly drowned! The only thing that had prevented that…. that was where her memory abandoned her. Had Nick pulled her out of the water?

 _Either way, Judy…you can't stay here. You're unarmed in the company of a dangerous criminal! Grab your clothes and be out of here…wherever_ here _is._

She reached for her navy blue blouse and began buttoning it up hastily, forgetting one or two buttons in the process. She was busy closing her belt when Nick stirred and his eyes opened.

They didn't open slowly, mind you. He was wide awake from one second to the next, his green eyes glaring into her with an unspoken warning. His claws bore into the wooden ground of the shack. Judy froze with panic widening her eyes, but the fox's stance relaxed quickly, the threat vanished from his expression.

He smiled.

"Hey, Carrots…finally gracing the world of the living with a visit, I see.", he said and smugly folded his arms behind his head. He deliberately stretched in the process, making full use of his new found freedom.

The bunny pawed her own nose to stop it from twitching and slowly inched away. "W-what the hell, Wilde!"

"I know, I know.", he waved her off dismissively. "But a simple thank you would suffice, really. Let's call it even. It was my pleasure."

Masking her fright with anger, the bunny clenched her fists and made herself stand firm and tall.

"I'm not thanking you, shifty fox! Do you have any idea what you've done to me?"

The fox's grin widened. "Urh, yeah, rabbit! I saved your life! How was I? I mean, I'm a little out of practice, but that was some pretty alright mouth to mouth action if I do say so myself."

Judy felt her face heat up from more than just the fire light. He had pulled her out of the water, alright. And now she remembered, faintly, waking up to him right above her, his paw gently shaking her, water she had spit at him dripping from his fur back into her face.

"You're the reason I almost drowned in the first place", she protested.

He finally dropped the smug act. Slowly he rose from his spot by the wall and took a step towards her. Her hand hovered pathetically over her empty holster.

"I didn't ask you to jump after me, Rabbit! In fact, what was that about? You know what? You're crazy!"

"I'm not a crazy dangerous runaway fugitive!", she retorted and regretted it at once. His brows furrowed, the mockery in his eyes was tinted with a hint of aggression. In the fire light, his bared fangs looked even brighter, even sharper. Ready to tear flesh and rip fur. Ready to taste blood. Judy stepped backwards, and found herself stumbling over her bag on the floor. The fox repellent! No, there was no time to reach it… With her hands she drew herself backwards until she hit a wall, her chest heaving with panic.

"Don't come any closer, Fox! I-I….I'm a cop! You don't want to assault a cop. I was valedictorian of my class! I am a great fighter!"

At this point she had clenched her eyes shut and was just waving him away desperately with one defensively outstretched paw. Seconds passed before she slowly opened her eyes and realized he had stopped approaching long ago and was watching her with nothing but mild irritation and…hurt.

"Relax, Carrots.", he sighed. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

As if to convince her, he raised both paws and put them behind his head like at arrest, retreated, and sunk back down at his spot by the post. "See? Nothing to fear from me. I never meant for you to jump as well. And the only reason I dragged you here is…well. I couldn't just let you lay there alone and unconscious…"

"So I'm not a hostage?"

"Ha. Dumb Bunny. What in the world would I want with you?"

She ignored the insult and slowly shuffled into a more dignified sitting position.

"Well….thanks.", she murmured.

"You're welcome."

"But I'm still mad at you."

"I figured."

And the more she thought on it, the more furious the bunny officer became. She stemmed her paws into her hips and wrinkled her forehead in anger. "I vouched for you! I could lose my job over this! Why did you do this to me, Nick? Why couldn't you just come along and let us investigate?"

"Yeah, about that.", Nick replied sarcastically. "I just so happen to prefer freedom over a prison cell and some grumpy officers shouting into my ears."

"But you said you were innocent!" – "I am." – "Then why….why didn't you talk to me. Why didn't you let me help you?"

Nick picked up a stick from the overgrown floor and absentmindedly poked the fire. His shoulders sunk in resignation. "You only want to help yourself. Were you really going to listen, Rabbit? Were you actually going to give me a chance?"

Judy had to hold herself back from impatiently tapping her foot onto the floor. She hugged her knees to herself, looked at him across the fire. "Maybe it's not too late for that.", she suggested quietly. "Tell me what happened."

Nick hesitated, but there was an unmistakeable spark of hope in his expression, too. It lit up his eyes beyond the reflection of the fire and the embers sparking up from it. He leant back, satisfied with the size of the flames that flickered peacefully.

"Fine, Rabbit. Get nice and comfortable. This might be a long story."

The bunny eagerly shuffled up against the wall and shifted into a comfortable position. She made such a show of it, that she thought to see a smile grow on the Fox's lip. He took a deep breath, seemed to check himself once more.

"It all started with-"

"Oh, and please put some clothes on.", Judy interrupted blankly.

"Oh, how dare you" He huffed at her with mock offense, and she found herself smiling at him in return.

"And here I thought you were enjoying the view.", he purred, but he reached for his jump suit without protest and stood to slip back into it. Without zipping it up, he sat back down and glanced into the fire long and hard, awaiting further interruptions. Judy remained silent, encouragingly alert.

"It all started about a year and a month ago. Things were starting to look up for me…"


	6. Chapter 6 - In Cold Blood

_**Author's Note:** This is what some of you have been waiting for! A glimpse into what happened to Nick one year ago. As always, I greatly appreciate your feedback. Leave a review, and always feel free to send me a message. Haven't started writing chapter 7 yet, but will get on that soon, and hopefully not keep you waiting too long. _

**Chapter 6**

 **In Cold Blood.**

* * *

One year and one month ago, things were looking up for Nick Wilde.

He was living his dream – even if the world outside of his own, hard earned little bubble was anything but rosy. Wilde Times, the amusement park the red fox was running just for predators, had become huge. Every evening he stood by the gate to the warehouse he had transformed into so much more, and watched predator after predator march in. They entered with tired and suspicious expressions, and exited each one with a smile on their faces. Nick had made it.

Him and his friends, whom he could also call his employees, earned a fair living from ticket prices alone. Of course running an amusement park was anything but cheap, but with Finnick, the fennec fox, as his partner, Nick occasionally made some money on the side. They offered businesses revenue in the ware house complex and had them set up store once or twice a week. For a small profit cut, those small predator businesses had a good chance at expanding their income in the face of so many giddy and unquestionably happy mammals.

Nick was especially proud that his park was a no-prey zone. Sign after sign stacked outside along a tall post right by the entrance. The blinking lights spelling out "Wilde Times" threw shadows onto the various posters that read "Chompers only", "No prey!" or "Be yourself!". The red fox had fought hard to offer the suffering predator species a way out of their dreary and oppressed lives for even a few hours.

Customers entered through a small walk-in clinic atop the cliff and then came down a hidden stair case leading to the once abandoned ware house complex right by the river and the floating market. The latter was a crime ridden area of Zootopia, but that couldn't scare any of the predators away.

Once the customers passed the small ticket booth with the red and white striped roof (Nick had painted that himself) they passed through a curtain, and were greeted by a wide grinning card board cut out of Nick himself. Often Nick would stand right there by his paper double and greet the customers with equal enthusiasm. He was on first-name term with all of his regulars. Had he claimed to know everyone before? Well, after opening Wilde Times it was certainly true. At least amongst the predators, Nick was beloved and well known, and he in turn made everyone else feel loved and important. That, and his famous pawpsicle stand, made him popular with the mammals.

On the inside, Wilde Times was a colourful heaven of flashing lights and chirping arcade machine sounds. There were predator themed carnival games of all types. They even had bumper cars! And with hushed voices, the rumour spread that Nick Wilde had found a way to disable collars, and would perhaps soon offer that as a service at the park. Be yourself indeed! Just a few hours of undisrupted excitement, a chance for the young ones to enjoy themselves without having to hold back their enthusiasm.

Nick did nothing to support or deny those rumours. It was good for business to have one or two suspicions whispered in the air, and they were not wrong. He had begun doing his research into that area, and he knew a few people. Of course he did.

* * *

The fateful evening that should later condemn the fox happened to be just one evening after his first encounter with the bunny officer. Nick still felt the occasional irritation when he thought back to the rabbit and her audacity to award him a parking ticket. It hadn't been his fault – some rodents had jumped out into the road and he had to brake and come to a stop. He had been so startled that his collar had zapped him. And he had stumbled out onto the side walk to catch his breath from the pain. The bunny had slapped a ticket on the van he had on that day borrowed from Finnick. The fox had to admit it looked like atrocious parking – he had slipped up onto the curb, the front of the car facing into the road at a good 45-degree angle.

Nick had been quick to regain his composure at the time, and during the evening, when he greeted customers at Wilde Times with a wide smile, it cheered him up to know that the bunny was probably laying face first in her bed, still feeling the sting from his words. Nick didn't feel good about having hurt her feelings, mind you. The bunny had, in fact, made the impression of someone who could perhaps have been truly good and righteous had society not brainwashed her into a false sense of just superiority. No, Nick felt good only about having put prey, his natural prey at that, into its place. He felt in control, and that was just how he wanted to feel in a city as chaotic as Zootopia.

Still – he hadn't evaded the ticket. One evening later, Nick had just closed his park for the early morning hours. As was his routine after an evening of work, he would go through the ware house and check for any damages. He turned off the machines at the master control switch, and watched with a satisfied sigh how the flashing lights and chip sound tunes faded into darkness and silence, one by one. When the warehouse was calm and dim, and only the fluorescent ceiling lights threw their mild light over his park, he clicked his tongue at one of his card board cut outs and leisurely wandered towards the office.

The office was a rusty trailer that had previously probably sailed seas and seen years of salt water. Now it was the base for Nick Wilde's paper work. It was 1 AM when he sat down on his high wooden desk chair with floral patterned cushions and committed himself to counting and organizing the evening's income. He made a pile for each major expense he had to account for, and put the rest aside onto a much smaller pile for actual profit. Thoroughly involved with his work, every thought about the bunny or the ticket had vanished from his mind. That was until he heard a faint thud outside, and then the unmistakable buzz of all machines coming right back to life.

Nick froze. His paws clenched around the notepad on which he had scribbled his calculations.

Neither Finnick nor Honey, the only mammals that would possibly know to be welcome at this time of night, would dare turn the machines back on. Wilde Times had a strict policy both on saving money where possible, and not drawing attention to themselves when the rest of the city was just about quieting down. The late night interruption filled the fox with both terror and anger. No one would just mess with his park and get away unscathed! The audacity! He pushed away from his desk and marched towards the trailer door. With a deep breath, his chest pushed forward to make himself look taller and prouder, he ripped open the door and stepped outside into the warehouse.

The arcade machines were chirping their metallic tunes. "Hey!", Nick called out. "Who is there?"

When there was no reply, he began patrolling the rows of arcade machines, subconsciously scanning the place for an improvised weapon. It wasn't long until he set eyes on the culprit, and froze with both disbelief and horror.

Before him, standing on its tiptoes, happily swirling about the joystick of one of the machines, was a sheep. It had thick black glasses sitting on its snout, and a cringe worthy grey cap reading "Go Ramchester!" on its head. The sheep's red flannel shirt was washed out and crinkled, and a small notepad and pen stuck out from the pocket of its khaki shorts.

Nick's thoughts were racing. Prey. Prey in his park. Prey had seen Wilde Times. Illegal amusement park. Predator themed attractions everywhere. Hell, the sheep was playing on one!

Nigh fought hard to regain his cool. Once he did, his expression set into a half lidded, self confident smile. "Can I help you, Sir?" he asked rather loudly. The sheep let go off the joy stick and turned to him with a start.

"Oh! Oh, you startled me, Mr. Wilde. My poor heart…Oh dear, oh dear. What a frightened lamb I am, huh? My oh my. My poor old heart."

Nick put his paws onto his knees and crouched down on eye level with the sheep. He smiled his best, fang-baring smile, a patronizing undertone to his voice. "Can I help you – because, you may not have read, but these premises are for predators only. Yeah. I know. It's a bummer! But hey, there are plenty of prey amusement parks, so…"

The sheep nudged its large black glasses back into position. Nick had a hard time guessing his age, but he would have placed him at no more than twenty years of age. The sheep had neatly kept wool and large dark eyes that turned just ever so slightly inwards towards its nose, giving it a look of cheerful stupidity.

"Yes, yes, Mr. Wilde. You are Mr. Wilde, right? The card board foxes look just like you! So I figured." The sheep seemed mighty proud of its deduction skills. "Mr. Wilde, my name is Lennart Ramsey. I was actually just so curious, so curious, wondered if I could have a look in here, see what the excitement is about. I got to say, what a fine establishment you run, Mr. Wilde."

The fox's ears flinched back for a moment. The sheep was unimpressed, unintimidated. Nick leant back, towering above the smaller creature with a look of professionally hidden dismay and well put on smugness. "That is high praise", he smiled. "I really appreciate the feedback. However,", Nick sighed regretfully.

"Did you see the closed sign? Or maybe, I don't know…the turned off lights and machines? It means we are closed. Mhm. Not accepting visitors at the moment. Out of business. And that means, unfortunately, really, that you have to leave. Lennart, was it?"

Again the sheep, not even skipping a beat, adjusted its glasses. It pulled the notepad out of its pocket and annoyingly started clicking the ball point pen. "I thought maybe you could make an exception", said Lennart, innocently. "I took some notes, you see…"

Lennar Ramsey started turning the pages of his notepad, painfully slowly, so that Nick could read the large letters upon it. His posture lost all confidence as he deciphered the comments, upside down.

 _Predators only_

 _Violence-Glorifying?_

 _SAVAGE!_

 _Encouraging primal predatory behaviour!_

Nick was struck dumb and silent. With his shoulders sinking and his ears falling back, he stared at the sheep with utter disbelief. He had underestimated the fellow, had failed to see past the thick glasses and the pink, nervous complexion. Lennart went on.

"You see, Mr. Wilde, I am a reporter for the Sheppard's Sunday News, and I received a tip to come and check this old ware house. At first, of course, I thought: Surely not! I shan't go in the middle of the night! But curiosity got the better of me, as it always does." He laughed unpleasantly. "I had every intention of writing a nice big article on this, of course. It would be a big hit. But you know what I think?"

Lennart paused as though he really wanted to know what Nick was thinking, but when the fox rose a paw and opened his snout to talk, the sheep went on cheerfully and undisrupted. "I think we could come to some sort of agreement! Call me a mad sheep, but I'm sure you don't want this place publically known, do you? I thought so, I thought so…"

Nick's smile tightened around the corners. His paws clenched on instinct, his tail dragged over the dusty ware house floor. He was fuming, his collar flashed yellow. The sheep noticed, a knowing smile spreading on its lips.

"No need to get worked up, Mr. Wilde! This needn't be so unpleasant for you."

Nick swallowed his anger. He had to tread carefully here, or prey would, once again, trample all over him. Tear down everything he'd worked for. He would not allow some random intruder to destroy it all.

"What do you want", he forced out between gritted death. Lennart Ramsay seemed pleased with himself.

"I knew you were a business man at heart, Mr. Wilde. A wise choice. Now, let's talk about what you can do for me-"

"No.", Nick slowly folded his arms, threw his head back with a half lidded glare. "Let's not."

It was the first time for the sheep to look surprised, the self-content, smart-ass smugness wiped off its features. "What?"

"Instead…", the fox began strolling out of the isle of arcade machines casually. The sheep followed, hurried to keep up with him. He treaded back to the far wall as he spoke. "let's talk about what I am _willing_ to do for you."

Uncertainty spread on the sheep's features. It was made unsure by Nick's confidence, but his words had not yet conflicted with the sheep's demand, and as such the intruder was willing to let the fox go on. His face fell when Nick continued to raise one finger. "One.", he said.

"I am willing to not utter a complaint to your News Paper, denouncing you as the nosy, rude, inappropriate and unprofessional excuse for a reporter that you appear to be."

Lennart rose a hand to protest, but Nick waved him off with a "Ah papapapa! Two!"

Nick's smile widened. "I am willing to let you walk out of here, forgetting about the fact that you are trespassing on private property, sparing you the tremendous trouble of a charge and a criminal record."

The sheep was quiet, waiting in silent stupor for point number three.

Nick crouched back down, his voice once more patronizing and smug. "And three. I'll forget about this embarrassing little attempt at intimidation, allowing you to forget about it too. I shall even let you walk out of here with one of my famous Pawpsicles. Sound like a deal?"

His voice had become as sweet as though he was speaking to a child. The sheep's face was flushed with shame and agitation. He eyed Nick's collar and considered his options. Nick didn't let him think. "Let me guess", he continued seamlessly. "You are wondering if you can somehow anger me enough for this collar to go off. Provoke me, threaten me maybe, evoke that prey sense of superiority. Am I right? Of course I am. Let me save you the time and assure you that nothing you say could possibly intimidate me. Sly Fox. Cowering Sheep. Now. Do we have a deal?"

"You can't do that!", protested the sheep finally, in a voice that was high pitched and shaken with shame. "This place is entirely illegal! You have no right to sell anything, or – or…"

"Oh, but I do! I have a permit.", retorted the fox. "And this property legally belongs to me. Now, thanks for your visit! But please, don't come again."

He could see that the sheep wanted to reply, wanted to regain control of the situation, but when a low, threatening growl escaped the predator's throat, the prey clearly changed its mind. Nick Wilde was bluffing, of course, when he narrowed his eyes dangerously at the sheep and took one step towards it. But it was enough to frighten the smaller animal, and Lennart, clenching his note pad, quickly put the paper away and retreated.

"T-this isn't the last you've heard of me, Mr. Wilde. I thought you'd be a reasonable fox, but clearly I misjudged you! You will regret this. I assure you. Maybe not today, but…but…"

"Bye, bye now!"

Nick turned his back towards the sheep and towards the power switch on the floor, listening to the hooves of the sheep nervously tapping on the ground as it hurried away. He was still listening eagerly when he bent down to unplug the appliances once more. Just as he did he heard a hissing sound disrupt the air, rushing just past his ear. Then a thud. A whine. A groan. A breathless sigh.

Nick felt himself shudder. The fur on his neck stood tall, a primal instinct in him infatuating his mind with unexpected fear. Against his will or judgement, his eyes widened. He had paused, with the plug still in his hand. When he straightened his back and turned, the cable pulled out of the plug and the warehouse went dark and deadly silent once more.

He saw, between the dead machines, a pool of weak fluorescent light and moonlight cascading from the ceiling and the overgrown glass windows. There in the twilight lay the figure of Lennart Ramsay, unchanged yet different. His thin arms were tensing with surges of strength, the pale little body was twitching and shaking violently. When the sheep looked up, it was with an expression of mad anguish, feral stupor. Nick was backing against one of the arcade machines, the joy stick pushing into his back uncomfortably. Something was wrong.

"Lennart?", he questioned quietly. "Exit is…urh…that way."

The sheep had shaken off the cap on its head, and soon the glasses came tumbling after. When he stood, it was on four legs that soon began kicking. The cry that escaped the mammal's throat was loud and incoherent, vibrating with the force of its lungs. Nick had never heard a sheep emit a sound such as this before, but he had the vague, instinctual memory of it being animalistic and meek. None of the fox's words reached the sheep. It was thrashing its head about in lunatic fever, rubbing its body against the machines in an attempt to pull of the shirt and shorts. When it finally looked up at Nick, with an expression void of civilized meaning, it cried out again in a panic.

Nick was frozen in his place with his thoughts running in circles like a carousel. One word rose to the front of his mind distinctly and clearly.

Savage.

The sheep had gone savage.

Prey could go savage.

The violence spreading amongst predators had been a lie.

And as he came to that realization, his perked ears noticed distantly the sound of a voice.

"…been a mistake… missed…shot….out of control", he picked up vaguely. The sound was disrupted with the cries of the sheep, but it seemed to come somewhere from the ceiling, or the structure of iron bars supporting the building just beneath it. "…you sure? Will have to kill him." Then there was laughter, manic and cold. "Brilliant. I like your way of thinking. Yes. Understood. I'll get right on that."

Nick was frantically searching for someone in the shadows, but it was hopeless. The voice had echoed of the walls, could have come from anywhere. He was distracted momentarily when the sheep cried out even louder than before, and, madness lighting up its empty, black animal eyes, began charging towards the fox.

Nick vaguely remembered himself starting to shout "Oh no-no-no", and starting to run when something hit him in the shoulder. He stumbled. Fell. His head hit the edge of an arcade machine, and with blackness spotting his vision he crashed onto the hard ground. The sheep struck the machine next to him, leaving a dent in the metal. It was stumbling in pained stupor, trying to regain its orientation. Nick numbly gazed towards his shoulder, his paws feeling for the wound. A dart was sticking out of his fur and the green button up shirt he was wearing. _Tranquilizer._ That realization was his last before the world went black, and sleep slurred his thoughts.

* * *

It was impossible to tell how much time had passed. It was still dark. A draft was rustling the fur of the fox as he lay on the ground, vaguely moving the fingers of his paw. The sleep that had enveloped Nick Wilde had been one of the deepest and blackest he had ever experiences, and he came to with his thoughts still in a state of confused numbness.

Just as he tried to formulate a coherent string of thoughts in his head, it was washed away by a wave of sleepiness, like a castle of sand deconstructed by the nagging and dragging of retreating ocean waters.

His body wanted nothing but to stay in this state of pleasant numbness, but a shrill, distant sound disturbed his ears and urged him to wake up. He forced his heavy lids open, felt them resist him like gates of iron. Above him, he could see stars through the glass ceiling of the ware house. Something beneath his paw felt sticky and wet. He felt a vague sense of terror come upon him, but was unable to focus on the emotion. It slipped away like everything else. His mind was empty.

Even when he sat up and found that the liquid staining his hands was blood, his mind was empty.

A heavy, metallic smell filled the air. Nick registered scraps of flesh and clothing littering the floor like one might register the weather – indifferently and dismissive. Torn wool was drenched with blood, glittering in the fluorescent light. Mixed with the scent of blood came the stench of ripped open intestines and raw meat. Nick saw from the corner of his eyes what may once have been the head of a sheep, its mouth hanging open in death, the tongue passively drooping onto the floor. A pair of black glasses lay crushed by one of the arcade machines.

Nick licked his dry lips and found that he tasted blood in his mouth. Was it his own, he wondered? But he was uninjured. Painless and calm. His collar reflected green light onto his entirely blood stained fur and clothes.

Echoes of clear thoughts shouted at him to get the hell out of there, but he could not will his body to move, and the thought vanished before it could take clear shape. He sat still, his nose wrinkling with disgust at the smell, his paws dropping uselessly into his lap, his ears listening indifferently to the sound of police sirens.

Through a cloud of calm, he heard hurried steps approach, fire arms releasing their safety, boots coming to a sudden and horrified stop close to him. Voices were shouting at him, instructing him to raise his paws and lay himself on the ground. Someone was running away, followed by the sound of someone emptying their stomachs onto the ground. There were gasps and whispers, police radios rushing after the request for back up, the sirens going on and on in the backdrop.

Nick Wilde was compliant.

He didn't complain when they picked him off the ground and pushed him towards a police vehicle, closing cold hand cuffs around his paws behind his back. He didn't deny their accusations, didn't protest when they called him a murderer and lunatic, didn't flinch at the hatred in their gazes.

He was watching Wilde Times slip away into the distance through the window of a police car.

Only with sleepy confusion did he notice a tear running down the side of his face as they turned around the corner, and his amusement park was swallowed by darkness.


	7. Chapter 7 - Moonlight Walk

_**Author's Note:** Here's Chapter 7! I got nothing much to say other than thanks again for the support, and please continue to leave reviews, favs and follows, I absolutely love what you guys write about the story, I love to hear your thoughts and where you think it is going. As always, feel free to send me messages, and I hope you enjoy!_

 _Also, I am reaching a state of the story that is not 100% planned out yet, so if an update is late it is because I have hit the end of my plot string for now. Chapter 8 is happily on the way though, and for the WildexHopps fans amongst you, I think we got some cute little scenes coming up._

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **Moonlight Walk**

* * *

Far from Zootopia, in a broken down shack in the woods, a fox and a bunny were enveloped in silence. The fire was crackling, devouring the broken pieces of dry wood with insatiable fervour. Even after Nick had concluded his tale, Judy had been too stunned to say a word. She had shifted for comfort a few times, closer to the fire, closer to him, and had watched him with wary mindfulness as he poked the fire and spoke. His voice had been lowered by grim severity, and his gaze had set on the dancing flames where it remained.

Judy felt as though the fox was barely aware of her presence. His face contorted with sincere emotion as he spoke, as though he was experiencing it all again for the first time, as though talking made him connect with the story in a way he had never done before. When he spoke of this theme park and friends, his gaze softened and his lips twisted into a smile. When his memory became gruesome, Judy watched him shudder and turn cold and stiff in the heat of the fire.

At first she had been burning up with questions. He had hardly uttered a sentence when she wanted to know about the theme park, Wilde Times, about his accomplices, and his motives for the criminal establishment. She wanted to ask again about his contacts, the prospect of losing collars, about the clinic and his source of income. But as the fox spoke, the bunny could only stare silently and listen. She felt the severity of his memories and dared not interrupt the natural flow in which he seemed caught. After a few minutes, even the tapping of her feet calmed down. Her ears stood alert, her eyes widened with fascination.

The silence had stretched over minutes now. Nick absentmindedly watched the embers fly from the fire as the bunny worked up the courage to speak. She awkwardly cleared her throat. "Nick."

The fugitive looked up, alert, hopeful, scared. Would she believe him? Would she denounce him?

She felt her chest tightened at the trust in his eyes. "I'm glad you told me.", she said. "Really."

"Carrots. Do you…"

"Believe you?", she jumped in. "I don't know.", she said sincerely.

His face dropped. She hurried to raise a paw and continue. "But I don't _disbelieve_ you, either. I just…I have questions."

With some effort a smile returned to his face. He leant back, supporting his weight on his paws. "I thought you would. Shoot, Fluff. I can say that safely now that you don't have a gun."

The rabbit shuffled, her foot was tapping, her nose twitching – she was a bundle of eager curiosity now, impatient to have all her queries answered. "Who did you hear speak before you were shot? Did you see them? What did you hear flying through the air? Are you sure it was a tranquilizer dart? Did no one test you for that?"

"Slow down, Rabbit! You should breathe once in a while, unless you want another revival session…"

"Wilde!"

"Fine. Alright. I have no idea who I heard. It wasn't anyone I recognized, and I didn't spot them. I don't know what was flying either, but…it wasn't so different from the sound of the tranquilizer dart, you know? A sort of… _Swoooosh._ " He pointed his lips to copy the sound, rushing his paws through the air for added effect. Judy nodded eagerly. "Yeah, like…an arrow? An air gun?"

The fox shrugged. "I was hit with a tranquilizer, alright? Like I said. I passed out, I can't remember anything from before I woke up covered in blood." His expression lost some mirth at the thought.

Uncomfortably, the bunny looked at anything but him. "Nick…you were covered in blood…it was on your claws. It was _in your mouth._ Maybe…maybe you went savage, and then woke up fine? So Prey can go savage – fine. I am willing to entertain that idea for a moment. So maybe you went savage too, and then it passed! It wasn't your fault, in that case. It's just…in your…" She stopped herself.

No, it wasn't in his nature. Not if prey could turn savage too. It had nothing to do with predators, and with that knowledge, it was rather strange that only predators had been going savage all this time. And the one time a sheep goes savage? It is ripped apart, supposedly by a predator.

Nick had pulled his guard up, acted defensive. "Carrots, I didn't go savage! My collar didn't shock me once. Believe me, I would have felt the pain of that the day after still. The tranquilizer took me right out – no way did I wake up and kill a sheep through that."

"They didn't find a tranquilizer dart in your shoulder…"

"Think, Rabbit! Whoever shot me in the first place took it out and made it look like I killed that sheep."

"Everything points towards you. Blaming you is just the simplest solution."

He growled. This time the bunny didn't flinch. "That's exactly what they wanted it to look like."

Judy nodded, fell silent. She had no way of proving or disproving his statement, but it threw up questions she was willing to consider. Her gut instinct told her that he was telling the truth, that he wasn't an ice cold killer. He had pulled her out of the river, made her breathe again when she had nearly drowned. He hadn't let her die. Why?

"They're right about you with one thing, though.", she murmured. Nick's glance shot up at her.

"What's that? Hm?"

The officer rose an eyebrow at him, her expression somewhere between nervous and impressed. "You really don't set your collar off. All this ordeal – the whole interrogation, later in the van, the jump into the river… none of it provoked you."

Finally, Nick set the stick with which he had been stirring in the smaller pieces of wood under the fire aside, and straightened. The intensity of his glance on her made her nervous, but she willed herself to endure the stare. Nick bared his fangs in a smile.

"Does that scare you?"

"Yeah. A little. Maybe you didn't kill Ramsey, but I think that maybe you could have."

The fox shook his head, sadly, unthreatening. "Never let them see that they get to you, Carrots.", he murmured. "Do you know how prey children bully preds on the street? They annoy them, prod them, poke them, startle them…they insult their families and throw things. All in the hope that the predator may get angry and hurt himself. We don't have the _right_ to feel angry, even if it's justified. Do you have any idea how that feels?"

Judy didn't.

"The only way we get to live a somewhat normal life, is by steeling ourselves against emotion. I wasn't going to let anyone rob me of my dignity any more. So maybe I am good at keeping my cool. That doesn't make me a killer, Rabbit. Believe me, I have my limits."

The thought of Nick's well trained apathy alone didn't scare Judy. She saw, for the first time, the prospect of predators all across Zootopia developing similar skills. But that alone would surely only make them as dangerous as prey is, too. Perhaps they could commit petty crimes calmly and remorselessly – but murder? Could such a composed and calm mammal even go savage? Could someone like Nick suddenly turn into a feral and furious beast with no self-control? Could _she_?

They sat silently. The quiet was surprisingly pleasant. Judy's fear had slowly slipped away during their conversation. With each passing second she was instinctively more convinced that he would do her no harm, and her resolve to drag him back to the police lessened. Her sense of duty was still strong, however. She firmly believed that if she took Nick back to the station and let him explain like he had explained to her, Chief Bogo would support them. But she also knew that Nick would be opposed to this decision – and she was not sure she would be able to force him back without the pressure of a fire arm or a remote to his shock collar. As such she observed him carefully, her thoughts racing around her options. He in turn observed her, cautiously weighing the chances that she was still the enemy. The longer he stayed in her presence, Judy realized, the smaller were his chances of absolute escape.

"I can't let you run.", Judy said after a while.

"Because you don't trust me.", Nick sighed.

"No. Because it would be wrong. We need to go about this the right way, Nick. Come back to the station with me, and we can sort this out."

"Haven't you learnt anything from my story, Carrots? The authorities don't love me. I'm not coming back with you. And you have no way to make me come."

The bunny nodded. "No, I don't. But your collar…"

Nick glanced to the side, looking caught. "Yeah. I know."

High security collars such as his had a tracker built into them. It was a miracle that they had not yet been found, but Judy imagined the signal might be obstructed by the trees. Perhaps the officers had not found them in the deep and maze like forest during the day, and stood no chance of finding them at night. They thought Nick had a hostage. Judy.

But the fox and the bunny couldn't stay in the forest forever. It was a siege Nick couldn't win. Eventually they'd track him, and he would be found and captured. Did he look defeated however? No. No he didn't.

The topic had forced open another rift between them. To Nick it had re-established them as enemies. To Judy, it had clarified their position. She was willing to help him, if only he let her help him her way. The silence had turned uncomfortable after all. They looked anywhere but at each other, enemies cooped together in one place to escape the pitch black night and cold.

"What is this place, anyway?", Judy asked amiably. "How did you find it?"

Success. His eyes lit up. He was almost eager to tell. "Oh, I used to come camping around here with my dad when I was a kit. This little hut has always been here. I loved the place – great hide out."

Judy could just imagine little Nick claiming the broken down building as his hide out, protecting it with utter pride. It was as good as a tree house. A club house for one. Or maybe his father had followed him there, and he had shown it off as though it was a castle. She realized too late that she was smiling at him, and that he was smiling back. When he realized his mistake, he shook his head as though to get rid of water lodged in his fur, and quickly averted his gaze to the fire.

"You should, urh…get some sleep. I'll keep the fire going."

"You're the injured one.", the bunny protested meekly.

"I'm a fox. Nocturnal, remember? Not sleepy in the slightest. But I caught you yawning a few times when I talked."

He saw that she thought she should better keep an eye on him – but the exhaustion of a long and stressful day had gotten to her, and she couldn't deny that she wouldn't mind a little shut eye. She shifted back against the wall and rested her head against it, glancing at him with one last threatening gaze. He smiled smugly. "Nigh-night, Fluff."

She closed her eyes.

The peaceful blackness didn't last for long. A twig cracked audibly just outside the house, and both the bunny cop and Nick rose with a start, their eyes darting towards the entrance to the little hut. For painfully long seconds only silence and darkness greeted them, then a body shifted into the open space. Nick froze, a low growl stuck in his throat. Judy recognized the uniform as a prison guard's at once. Her heart skipped beats in confusion. Foe or friend? She wasn't sure whether she should welcome this intruder or not.

It was a ram. Powerful horns adorned his head, and his expression was serious and professional. He was a muscular, proud and strong looking specimen whose dark eyes travelled over Judy momentarily, and then hefted themselves onto Nick. He had a tranquilizer gun drawn from its holster, and when Nick all but flinched, the Ram trained it on him.

"Stand down, Wilde.", the ram ordered, and turned to Judy. "Officer Hopps, you are safe now. Step away from him, over to me. I'll take it from here."

Judy nervously glanced between the two, but the voice was full of authority. Almost immediately her dutiful police nature drew her towards the mammal. She picked her bag up off of the floor and stepped next to him with uncertain steps, guilt ridden and worried. She heard Nick whine. "Carrots?", he asked, with heart breaking pain layered in his voice. Just as she stepped behind the Ram, he took one step closer towards the fox. A draft from the open entrance made the flames flicker and hit the bunny's and the ram's back. When Judy looked up at Nick, his eyes were wide, his ears had fallen back. He was petrified.

Judy hesitated. There was something about his fear that struck him as odd. His collar, she noticed, had tinted yellow. Her thoughts raced, tried to dissect the situation. The fox was too terrified to suit the situation, she thought. He was frightened to the point of losing his composure.

"You did a good job keeping him occupied.", the Ram praised her without any sincerity. He looked incredibly pleased with himself.

"Carrots…", Nick murmured, whimpered. "Carrots, that's the guy that stabbed me."

Judy froze in place. _What?_

"Quiet, Wilde.", the ram ordered.

"Fluff, I can smell him. That's him. That's definitely him. Carrots…you have to believe me…"

Judy didn't know what to believe. She saw the powerful back of the ram, blocking her sight on the fire, and she saw Nick, tiny and weak in comparison. All his confidence was wiped away. His fear was sincere. If he was telling the truth…

"They're going to kill me.", the fox said. He had watched Judy in her passiveness, and the hope in his eyes had vanished until the green irises looked matted and dull.

"That's quite enough.", the Ram said. Judy saw him place a finger on the trigger, and she acted before she could think. She bent her knees, then with one powerful thrust against the floor she threw herself at the Ram. Tackled him. He stumbled under the rabbit's assault, fired a tranquilizer dart into the ceiling. The rabbit landed on the ram's side when the guard hit the wooden floor with a groan. From the corner of her eyes she saw Nick jump back into motion. His eyes were wide with surprise now – surprise and hope.

Judy glanced at him with urgency, her teeth gritted. "What are you doing, Wilde? RUN!"

The fox was happy to obey that command. He darted past the rabbit and the ram quick enough to blur into a flash of red for Judy's eyes. The moment he was through the entrance, she felt the mammal below her stir, his muscles tensing with strength and anger. The growl he emitted might as well have been that of a predator. She placed one strong kick in his face and then hurried after Nick, out into the darkness. The pitch black darkness. She felt herself tripping over roots. The moonlight barely filtered through the thick tree crowns. She couldn't spot Nick. He was hidden in the dark, and she was lost, alone, with only a rectangle of fire light outside of the hut to guide her back to imminent danger.

Her heart was beating frantically, and she had to beat the desire to cower down in the undergrowth.

Out of the darkness, a paw found her wrist. She tried to pull away, but the paw found hers and gripped it tightly. She nearly screamed. Someone hissed " _Shhh._ " Into her ear, and she stilled, because the paw in hers was that of a fox, and the voice in her ear was Nick's. This was no shock to her. She surprised herself with how calm she felt realizing that it was the fugitive who had reached her, not the prison guard.

He started leading her away, slowly at first, then quicker. She was stumbling still, but the path they treaded on was free of thorns and roots. Nick, capable of seeing in the dark, made sure she could walk. He gave her time to trust him, and once she no longer resisted his lead, they walked quicker and quicker. Behind them, they could hear twigs breaking and a harsh voice cursing, but Judy's hearing was fine – and she heard him kicking against roots and ripping cloth on thorns. She could hear the ram curse, huff, pant.

Judy, whose heart slowly calmed, focused her eyes on the green light of Nick's collar. It was like a beacon of hope in the dark now, hovering there just in front of her, whilst his paw lay warm in hers. They didn't talk. They treaded silently, their hearts beating quickly in unison. They didn't need to speak about what had happened. They both knew that Judy had trusted him. And Nick revelled in that trust, and guided her carefully as to not destroy it.

Judy couldn't tell how long they walked. It felt as though hours passed. Her feet became tired. Her eyes, heavy with the day's exhaustion, threatened to close at any moment. Her mind was fuzzy with sleepiness. She began tripping over her own feet, began falling against Nick's back. He had to stop a few times to let her rest, but gently urged her on each time.

Eventually the forest grew lighter. What was pitch black darkness became a dark blue, then a misty twilight, then the first rays of cold sun light twisting their way through the woods. Judy wordlessly collapsed, her fall softened by a bed of moss and dried leaves. She smelled the mildew on the plant matter, felt moisture seek into her fur. She didn't care. Nick silently picked her up under the arms and dragged her onto a dry spot. She half expected him to urge her to keep walking, but he himself knelt onto the ground by her side and was soon laying there himself, breathing gently.

She distantly felt his tail cover the both of them. The morning air was crisp and cold. Unconsciously, she edged closer to him, and was too tired to resist even when she felt his snout resting tiredly on her head. In a state of strange calm, comforted by the warmth of another body, she fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8 - On the Run

_**Author's Note:** Not a lot happens in this chapter, and I apologize if it is not as interesting a read as it maybe should be. It was one of those necessary needing-to-get-characters-from-point-A-to-point-B chapters. Next chapter will hopefully place us somewhere more interesting! Also, for those of you who might have been wondering, I am hoping for this story to be similar to the film in creating chemistry between Nick and Judy without actually spelling out a relationship. I'd like to focus mainly on other things than WildexHopps, but I do hope for them to have a dynamic relationship. As always, comments and reviews are much appreciated._

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 **On the run.**

* * *

The ground was cold and hard, the air filled with the noisy voices of birds and the rushing of the wind. Neither Nick nor Judy slept well, and they awoke only a few hours later with sticks and rocks boring uncomfortably into their bodies. There was a small comfort however. Nick considered said comfort whilst slowly awakening, eyes still peacefully closed. The body next to him was a small but soft source of warmth, comforting and pleasant. It had been such a long time since he had felt the comfort of a friendly body anywhere near him. His sleepy thoughts revolved around home and family, memories of his mother and father embracing him on a cold winter night.

The pleasantries vanished however when he opened his eyes and stared straight into the front of fox repellent spray. He shuffled back with a start, raising his hands to protect his eyes from the attack he expected. "Carrots! Cheese and Crackers, what is wrong with you!", he already cried accusingly, waiting for the onslaught that didn't come. After a few seconds passed he reopened his eyes and lowered his arms to find the spray-can shake with the trembling paw of the bunny.

Officer Hopps was staring him down with a mixture of fright, anger, and…blushing embarrassment. A smile crept onto his lips as he realized that his tail was still covering her. She seemed mortified, perhaps scared, but hadn't pushed him away out of want for warmth.

"Hey, it's alright, Rabbit. I'm not one of those guys that disappear before breakfast."

There was no doubt about it now – Anger was the distinct emotion making the bunny's nose twitch. She whacked the side of his head with the fox repellent before reluctantly letting it sink back into her bag. Nick sat up and began plucking twigs and leaves out of his fur. The two of them scanned the area silently. It was more comfortable not to speak, with hunger growling in their stomachs and thirst parching their throats. The forest revealed no distinguishable sight or clue in any direction. Nothing but trees and undergrowth lit by a shifting mosaic of golden sunlight.

The bunny, soon returned to a state of panic, thought them lost.

"Oh, what have I done?", she questioned in a high pitched voice. "I assaulted a guard…I refused to cooperate with police work! I helped a criminal fugitive escape! I…slept on the ground…with a…with a…. _fox_!"

"Really? Low blow. I thought you liked me right where I was, the way you snuggled up to me last night."

"I am so fired…" Judy didn't even pay attention to him. Nick had to do a double take to confirm that he did indeed see tears well up in her eyes. "I will have to quit the force…", she murmured. "Chief Bogo will never give me another chance. I'll have to move back to Bunny Borrows… I'll have to become…a-a…carrot farmer…li-like all the other…", and she started crying for real now. Nick's eyes widened with both shock and discomfort. His tail twitched nervously. "…. du-dumb bunnies!"

The fox couldn't resist the urge to roll his eyes. He picked himself up from the floor and stood, brushing the remaining dust and dirt off of his grey jumpsuit. "Bunnies.", he sighed gently. "So emotional."

He reached a paw out to help Judy up, and, after blinking at him pathetically through tear glazed eyes, she accepted the gesture.

"Let's go, Fluff. There is a tourist site on this side of the island. I'll guide you there. You'll be safe. And there we part ways."

"What?"

Nick had turned his back to her and was casually strolling off into the direction he knew for certain to be the right one. The bunny on the other hand could only guess that he knew his way.

"A tourist site. Arcades, pestering merchants, cheap souvenirs, burger vendors…that sort of deal."

"No, I mean…Nick! Nick stop walking right now! WILDE!"

He didn't stop. He had a premonition that she would be stubborn and insist on playing his enemy. And he couldn't let her do that. He had come too far. He had one shot at escape – finding his friends and destroying the tracker in his collar before they found him. After that…well. He hadn't quite thought that far ahead. He suspected his life would be full of midnight runaways and falling asleep after a long and exhausting chase under a bridge or shrubbery.

Nick didn't care. It was better than prison, and tenfold better than death. He'd have his freedom. If he was on the run anyway, he might as well find someone to take off his collar and be free for real.

The fox had not intended to stop until he was painfully pulled back by his tail and a growl vibrated in his throat. The officer had just grabbed the red and black fur and refused to move.

"I'm taking-" she said in between tugs as he tried to wring himself free. "You back to the station!"

When he stopped resisting, her gaze and grip softened a little. "I want to help you, Nick, but we have to do it the right way. If you're telling the truth…"

"Which I _am!"_ he said once more.

"The we can protect you in custody. We can reopen an investigation, with your help we might find the culprit from back then, and maybe it's all linked to the current crimes as well! You could really make a difference! You could help _protect_ the city!"

One by one Nick peeled her fingers off his tail. With each one, her hopeful expression sank a little more. She made for a sorry sight, her fur littered with undergrowth, her eyes teary, her ears drooping back, deep shadows under her eyes. Nick stared at her unimpressed, lids half closed.

"You have no way of restraining me.", he said simply, turned, and continued.

"I- I have the fox repellent!"

She waved it in the air pathetically. He wanted to call her bluff, but he had done that before during the interrogation and it hadn't ended well for him. So instead he just kept going, his longer legs outmarching her slightly.

"If you want to wave toys around, you'll have fun at the arcades.", Nick suggested amiably.

"Nick, please! You don't know how much this job means to me – I'm going to lose it all because of you. Because I _trusted_ you!"

"That's your fault, not mine."

The tapping of her feet stopped. She had frozen still, an expression of hurt on her face. Nick only glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. He didn't want to be cruel. She had helped him, and in a wave of immense gratitude he had not been able to leave her anywhere near that ram. Had taken her paw and pulled her to safety. And he would repay her, still, by safely guiding her out of the forest. He was not even opposed to doing some investigating himself when he was free of her. He wanted to find out who had ruined his life as badly as she did – and then maybe, if he found something, he would tell her.

"Are you saying you can't be trusted?", the bunny asked quietly. It pained Nick to answer, but his face remained calm and cruel when he turned and crouched down to meet her at eye level.

"Listen. All this is very simple. It is exactly what it looks like. You trusted me. I betrayed that trust."

He pointed at himself. "Sly fox." And at her. "And you'll never be more than a dumb bunny. Don't feel too guilty. It's in your nature."

His lips were in the process of twisting into a smug smile when she slapped him across the face.

The fox was struck silent and dumb for several seconds, the side of his snout stinging from the impact of her quick paw, his eyes wide with disbelief. Slowly he raised his paw to touch the spot she had hit. But the bunny looked more pained than him. With tears glistening in her eyes once more, she stood firmly, her clenched little fists trembling with anger and anguish. Her posture was stiff and defiant, a pathetic attempt at protecting her hut pride.

"The only reason you think I couldn't be more than a bunny, is because you are scared of the possibility that you could be more than just a sly fox!"

His stunned silence made her courageous. He straightened himself, still rubbing his snout. He had his shoulders pulled up and his tail tugged between his legs.

"You, Nick Wilde, are a coward!", the bunny continued. She stomped one of her powerful little feet on the floor, whirling up leaves and dust. "And you can run from me as much as you want! But I will follow you! I will find you! And I will find out what happened and right all the wrongs done to you, if you can't stand up and fight for yourself!"

"You believe me", the fox murmured numbly. His thoughts had gone silent. A strange calm enveloped his heart, warm and fuzzy.

Judy hesitated as though the reality of those words hadn't occurred to her. Her lips set into a straight line and she made a decision.

"Yes. I believe you. I believe that…that there's more to it than everyone thought. And…you did save me from drowning."

Slowly, the smile returned to the fox's lips. The bunny expected smugness and a comment regarding their brief lip contact, and quickly added "But we're even. I saved you from the guard." Nick's smile however had no smugness or meanness in it, and Judy looked up with big eyes when she glanced upon his first sincerely happy smile since the beginning of their acquaintance. It was a smile full of hope and trust, the smile of a drowning man seeing the light of the surface.

The bunny felt her concerns slip away at the sight of that smile, a little voice in her eagerly singing: _Way to go Judy! Making the world a better place! Bringing smiles on everyone's faces!_

It would have been a picturesque and heart-warming scene in any story. But life didn't always work that way. Their stomachs grumbled in unison and ruined the moment. Drawn back into reality, Nick awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, and Judy suddenly found the ground very fascinating.

"Sorry I slapped you."

"I deserved it."

"I'm coming with you."

"Yeah, I understood that much."

"So, urh…where are we headed?"

Side by side they walked on, tired and hungry. Ultimately, however, a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. Nick had regained his usual composure and reinstated his smile, albeit not as mean as it had sometimes been. It was smug, confident, but not belittling as such.

"First, the tourist village. Maybe we can get some food. I happen to know Outback Island's finest burger place." Judy lifted a paw, but Nick interrupted. "I know what you're gonna ask me: Do they do carrot burgers? Why yes, you're in luck. The very best. Bobby's Burgers. Great place."

The fox had fond memories of eating there with his father. It was a predator vendor in one of the least favourable locations of the village, run by Bob, a bear. The shabby location had once seemed unfair to Nick, but was now welcome. They could sneak around the main parts of the tourist attractions easily, and visit the vendor without being seen.

"When was the last time you've been?", asked Judy.

"Must have been ten years ago. But believe me – that guy had a passion for burgers. He'd never give it up."

* * *

Two hours later, a tired bunny and a tired fox stood in front of an overgrown ruin that used to be a wooden burger vendor. Daffodils and daisies had claimed the grass around it. Wind made moist with the water surrounding the island had eaten away at the wood, made it brittle and mouldy. A grimy sign hung off the top of the building, vertical, unhinged on one side. It read "Bobby's Burgers – Best Burgers in Zootopia". Nick walked up to the building and broke off a large junk of one of the wooden boards decorating the front of the vendor. He crumbled the piece between his fingers, watched the pieces fall to the ground with an expression of pained disbelief.

"I don't believe it!", he whined, whilst Judy was torn between feeling sympathy, and feeling simply frustrated about the hunger pains she was feeling.

"Not Bob! Bobby's Burgers was the best place on this god forsaken island! There's no way he gave that up – he had his son with him on Sundays, to show him the ropes! It was a family business…"

Judy wasn't so sure about Nick's conviction. She looked around rather doubtfully at bins covered in overgrowth and paved ground covered in weeds. The vendor was quite a way away from the main tourist village. Judy doubted it had ever gotten much attention. The bunny however couldn't bring herself to complain at the sight of Nick so disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Nick", she said a little less sincere than she had hoped for. With a begging smile she pointed into the direction of the village. "Maybe we can try somewhere else? It's my money we are spending anyway…I doubt you've got coins hidden away in that jumpsuit of yours."

"You would have _loved_ his carrot burgers", Nick insisted with a raised finger. He stormed past her in a disappointed fury, and right back into the woods adjourning the unkempt square. "I can't go to the village. There's probably police."

He scanned the sea side. A garbage ridden pebble beach lay flat where the paved square ended. Not too far from it, there were a few grimy boats tied to posts besting the water.

"I best wait here.", he murmured, eyes darting. Judy fixed her stare on him intently. "You're not thinking of leaving me here and escaping in one of those boats – are you?"

He couldn't help a grin. "Sweetheart, that's exactly what I was thinking. Maybe you're slier than you look. But alright. Alright. I'll be waiting for you here. I _promise._ Alright?"

Still she stared him down. He opened his arms in an innocent, amiable gesture, invited her to look into his innocent, friendly face. "Come on. You can trust a face as handsome as this."

"Harhar.", she sighed. "I'm going, but only because I'm starving. You stay right here."

She had barely gone three meters when Nick hissed out of the shade under the trees. "Carrots! _Carrots!_ " She turned, an expression of sheer annoyance on her face. She was tapping her foot impatiently. Had she ever been this hungry? Never! Ever! "What is it?"

"You look too much like Officer Judy Hopps!"

"I _am_ Officer Judy Hopps."

He shook his head violently and stepped out into the light towards her. "No, no. They will recognize you like that. Arms up."

She obeyed in confusion. He removed the holster from her belt, pushed her arms back down, and to her horror licked his paw before drawing it over her head. He ruffled the fur between her ears until it stood up in wild spikes, and his paws moved towards her blouse before he thought better of it and drew away with an ironic smile. "And open one of your blouse buttons."

She glared him down whilst obliging to the command. Feeling a lot looser and uncomfortably casual, she flapped her arms up as he stepped back to examine her. "Better. Much better. You don't look like a prude anymore!", he congratulated, and then waved her away dismissively.

"Go, go! I'm starving."

* * *

Judy kept her head town all the way through the tourist village. With her eyes set to the floor, she walked into a mammal here and there, mostly prey enjoying a day out with their family. The air was warm where sunlight had been reflected of the bright floor, and the waves of the large lake washed over the beach lazily.

Once Judy caught a glimpse of her reflection in a window, and was stunned at the change Nick's quick makeover had led to. She seemed like a different person. A more mischievous, fun seeking person. Rough, ruffled and daring. Uncomfortable with the sight, she smoothed the fur on top of her head down in passing.

She returned to their agreed meeting spot only half an hour after they had parted ways, two burgers in her paws. They were fat dripping and grimy, but Judy had a limited amount of finances to support both of them with and had chosen a cheap vendor. Food was food. Her stomach wasn't picky at that time.

When she returned however, the overgrown square was deserted.

She scanned the forest, finding not a hint of red fur. Wind swiped across the ground and made dry leaves and withered grass dance. Judy gripped the burgers tighter, a feeling of utter dread coming over her.

"Nick?"

There was no reply. The bunny felt her heart tighten with despair. She felt no anger at the thought that he had left her, but the painful stab of betrayal. Tears burned in her eyes at the thought being abandoned, distrusted, used. With all her heart she had wanted Nick to be trustworthy, had wanted to believe in him, and yet…

"Pst, carrots! Over here!"

The sudden sound of a voice almost made Judy drop the burgers, but her body knew better than to throw away their only source of nutrition. She frantically searched the place for the speaker, but could not find anyone still. On the lake, a cloth covering one of the boats in the water shifted, and a red paw waved out of it.

"Quick, before you're seen", the fox ordered. Judy quickly hopped towards the boats and marched through a few meters of shallow water to reach him. Nick reached out to grab both her wrists and helped her into the boat. The second she uncomfortably fell onto one of the narrow wooden benches, Nick ripped one of the burgers out of her hands and began eating with the fervour of a starved man.

 _"_ _Mmh._ Grimy fastfood. So much better than prison grub", he murmured with a full mouth, his expression content. Once he had devoured two large bites he pulled the blanket back over them. They ate in the twilight of sunlight casting through thin fabric, close together in the tight space of the boat. They were not yet done eating when Nick extracted his claws and cut the rope that kept the boat tied to a post on the beach.

"I thought you had left.", the rabbit uttered in shame and was answered with an amused grin.

"What? Me? I'd never do that to you."

The boat swayed gently on the water. They both finished their meals in silence. Content now, warmed pleasantly by the trapped air under the blanket, they made themselves as small as possible until they had drifted away from the main land. Nick occasionally lifted the cloth to scan their surroundings, which were more and more taken up by nothing but water.

When they had naturally drifted perhaps twenty meters away from the coast, the fox pulled a paddle from the side of the boat and began pushing them forward. He kept himself half hidden under the blanket as he drew the wooden tool through the water, soon huffing with exhaustion. His muscles were tense, and Judy reckoned his wound was hurting under the strain.

It wasn't long until Judy felt too bad watching him suffer and offered to take over. He accepted her help gladly, sunk back onto the floor of the boat with significant relief.

"Don't worry, Nick. I've got this.", Judy promised enthusiastically. She pushed into the water with the same eager fervour with which she got up at 5:30 every morning. She was helping out a struggling citizen after all. Nick only laughed bitterly at her words however.

"I don't think so, Carrots. We've got a long way to go."

That made Judy's ears perk up.

"Where are we going?", she asked suspiciously, expecting the worst. Nick confirmed it with a smug grin.

"The Rainforest District."


	9. Chapter 9 - Reunion

_**Author's Note:**_ _As my initial hype dies down, this is getting a bitharder to write, I'm trying to keep up, a lot of stuff is still planned out._

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 **Reunion**

* * *

They took turns rowing the boat, the other curled up on the wooden floor, swayed into sleep by the gentle waves. It was a sunny and pleasant day, and the going would have been easy for any shorter journey. The rain forest district however was a far way away, and soon both Nick and Judy dreaded their turn of rowing. Judy always tried to hold on for as long as possible nonetheless, because the fox was injured, and she appreciated that he needed rest.

Nick in turn tried his hardest as a matter of pride.

Occasionally they rested. Often this was brought about by a boat passing them or a bridge they had to drift under. In those cases Nick and Judy would duck under the blanket and drift gently, their bodies pressed closely together in the tight space as they glanced out over the shimmering water from underneath the cloth. If Judy had expected the fox to be nervous, she had been sourly disappointed. He was his usual, casual, smug self, confident that his escape was in no way endangered. It was the bunny that worried painfully about being caught.

"This is what you do. If the police catch us, you claim I took you hostage and forced you to come along. You were unarmed, and I am an evil predator.", had been Nick's suggested solution. Judy was not so sure that Chief Bogo would buy the lie. She wasn't sure herself how well she could lie – although of course she had enjoyed a brief acting career as a young bunny.

"But that's a lie.", she had meekly protested, not quite wanting to force a worse image upon him. His smile had faded and he looked at here with a strange severity.

"It's a lie that's gonna save your fur. So be a good bunny and play along. We don't both have to go down. Besides", he grinned. "Who is going to proof my innocence if you get locked up with me?"

He had her swear that she'd play along, and she did, a paw on her heart that was thumping uncomfortably at this point. It was late afternoon when the sights along the shores changed. The beaches turned into muddy and moss-covered banks, the trees stood tall above them in bright green frocks, embraced by climbing plants and tickled by ferns. There was an ocean of green reflected in the water that had long narrowed into a river. The closer they inched forward through the river now, the more nervous Nick became.

Whilst his face didn't give it away, Judy noticed it through the twitching of his tail and the darting of his eyes. He smiled helplessly when she asked what was wrong.

"It's been over a year. I suppose I worry that things might have changed. Maybe she…maybe she is no longer here."

"She?"

"Honey. She is one of my most trusted friends, and the best prepared mammal in the city to help a fugitive slip away for a while."

Judy raised an eyebrow. "That sounds sketchy."

"It would be, if she wouldn't focus so much on prey conspiracies that even I can't support."

His green eyes lit up as his lips twisted into a smile. The river current was taking them into the right direction, so they only occasionally stirred away from the coast. "She is the strongest woman I've ever met. Don't get into a fight with her, she'll leave you with two black eyes. And she's damn clever."

The more the bunny and the fox talked, the more the barrier between them broke down. Judy no longer feared his presence – she turned her back towards him feeling safe, and the sight of his bared fangs didn't scare her. His smile was just that. A smile.

He spoke about friends and family the way any other mammal would, accounted for a life full of hopes, dreams and episodes of despair, that was not so different from hers. She too had grown up being told that she would never be able to fulfil her dream, and had battled against those back-minded opinions with spite and determination. Nick had just faced considerably more despair. Considerably more hardships. Was it fair? Did this fox really deserve all the restrictions placed on him? Would he ever have been a danger to prey animals across Zootopia?

Her belief in the justice of the city dwindled the more she began to trust Nick. But despite their bodies crouching close together as he started pulling them towards the coast, there was a part of Judy that reserved itself to prejudice and caution, a part that still momentarily trembled at the sight of his fangs or claws. Whether this notion was one inflicted upon her by society, or whether it was an instinctive habit, the bunny couldn't tell. Now she felt guilt whenever her body automatically reacted to his predator presence, because every time he noticed, a shadow cast over Nick's bright green eyes.

Nick reached his paws out and closed them around the bars of a large sewer pipe connecting to the river. A drizzle of liquid was dropping out of it, and the distant echo of water dropping onto metal reached the bunny's ears.

Judy couldn't quite see what he was doing, but after a few twists and turns the grit was removed from the pipe, and Nick drew them close to the river edge before climbing out into the opening. Inside, Judy could see nothing but darkness. Her nose twitched, and Nick, sensing her disgust, gave her a smug smile.

"Come on, Rabbits. Have you smelled yourself these past two days? You're not exactly a pot of roses either."

But it wasn't just the fear of smell. Judy realized with growing discomfort that she was about to enter a predator community. For nearly the first time in her life she would be surrounded by nothing but what used to be carnivores. She swallowed hard, trying to drown her nervousness in her curiosity. Nick reached his paw out for her and she took it, allowing him to pull her into the opening with him. They had to lean against each other to not fall out. Nick kicked the boat, and it drifted back onto the river and was soon taken away by the current.

"Are you sure we are in the right place…?"

"Honey has a thing for unconventional hiding spots. We are going to one of the safest places in Zootopia. For friends of honey, anyway. Now, carrots. You're gonna have to promise me not to freak out…"

"What? About what?"

"…but Honey is not exactly the most law-abiding of mammals. Not that I associate myself with criminals."

"Or break the law yourself", Judy smirked.

"Exactly. So she may have a few possessions in spirit of her safety that might…startle you."

He looked worried. Pleading. The bunny tried to battle her bad expectations and found herself nodding for his sake. "Fine. I'll keep an…open mind."

Immediately his smile brightened his features. "That's what I like to hear!"

With Nick in the lead, they crawled into the darkness. Soon there was a slight slant leading upwards. Their knees and paws were drenched in oily feeling water, and occasionally, when Judy slipped slightly in the wetness, she hit her shoulder on the side of the pipe. Every few seconds, Nick's tail brushed into her face, and her nose twitched as she shook her head to be rid of it. Without that tail, however, the bunny wouldn't have known whether Nick was still with her. Eventually the slant ended in a right angle, and Nick disappeared from before her. She used her paws to feel her surroundings until her fingers grasped the first bars of a ladder that Nick had begun to ascend.

A faint light was flooding towards them from the top. Judy held herself to that light as though it was the guiding shine of a light house by the coast. "Stay down here for a second, Carrots", Nick hissed towards her. She heard a heavy objects grinding against concrete, and the light from the top lit the sewer pipe. The fox had moved the drain and stuck his head out into the open. Judy heard steps approaching from somewhere, and saw Nick duck back down, his pointed ears twitching in anticipation. A bellowing, rough female voice shouted "INTRUDERS! SPYING SWINE! YOU COME TO GET ME? COME GET _THIS!"_

The voice alone made Judy flinch back, but it was the eager stomping and release of a gun safety that made her really nervous. To her surprise she could hear Nick above her laughing. "That' honey, alright!"

And he climbed out. There was a shrill scream, a few moments of silence, a dubious "…are you an imposter…" and Nick smugly clicked his fingers at her and said:

"Honey, sweetheart, it is nice to see ya. Is that a new gun? Good for you!"

Judy heard the clatter of the weapon falling onto the ground, and then Nick's tail disappeared out of the opening, and his hesitant steps approached the source of the voice.

"Wilde…I can't believe it! It's really you! You look awful! You stink! Has anyone followed you? Are you wired? No? Oh, Nick!"

Judy, her tail and nose twitching, couldn't hold herself back any longer. She clambered up the last couple of bars and stuck her head out of the opening to watch where she was. The bunker room was barely lit, a long fluorescent tube being the only source of light. The walls were covered in shelves stacked with hundreds of cans of food and bottled water, dried fruit and fish, trail rations and stale looking bread. On another wall was a map of Zootopia, clustered with notes, pins and red marker. Photos were plastered onto the wall next to the map, some of which with notes scribbled across the faces.

On the opposite wall to the sewer drain was a weapon rack, every slot stacked with guns and knives of different sizes and models. There was a suit of armour and a bee helmet, alongside strange looking spectacles and night vision glasses. Finally, Judy turned her curious eyes towards Nick and the honey badger, who were caught in a deep and tight embrace that Nick seemed anxious to let go off. Judy felt her heart soften at the sight, and the badger, too, seemed overjoyed to see the fox.

It was a heart-warming scene of reunion, and Judy placed a paw on her heart and _awwww_ 'ed silently – until the honey badger lifted her head from Nick's shoulder and saw her, and a scream broke from her lungs once again.

* * *

Honey was everything Nick had mentioned and more. She was strong and sturdy with tough looking eyes and a wary smile, promising a character that had been tested often over the years and had hardened in the daunting presence of danger and tragedy. She dressed like military, with her fur cropped short on her head and dark khaki trousers dangling around her legs. Her chest was adorned with a dark tank top and a few simple necklaces. There was an intelligent shine to her dark eyes, but they occasionally glazed with madness, making her look distracted and confused. Her gaze would dart about the room in nervous paranoia – something Nick had failed to mention.

The badger was, to an extent, crazy. And when she began babbling over sheep framing Nick and purposely letting him escape from prison so they could find his friends and murder them, Judy sunk back into the large soft chair in the living room above the bunker (the hidden door being covered with the carpet) and kept her mouth shut. The bunny herself was often object of the honey badger's conspicuous fantasies within the twenty minutes that she spoke nearly uninterrupted.

She had offered them tea and food, which was much appreciated after a long day of paddling meekly through the river. The rabbit cop couldn't deny that she had been hospitable.

The moment they got out of the bunker, honey excused herself excitedly and came back thirty seconds later with a button up shirt and tie, as well as a pair of brown trousers that she held out to Nick. "I kept some of your clothes, took them from your wardrobe. Your place was probably going to be raided anyway, so I thought, no harm in me taking them! Better me than some prey spies, and I knew of course that you'd be back one day."

Nick's face melted into a smile at the sight of his own clothes, and he drew Honey close and placed a loud peck on her cheek. "You, honey, are a star! Lemme get changed." And he did, exiting the honey badger's bedroom with the shirt mostly buttoned up and the tie swung loosely around his neck. He held it in his paws, tightening it with great satisfaction, and opened his arms to parade his new look before Judy.

"Feels good to look like myself again.", he sighed contently, and Judy meanly rose an eyebrow and commented:

"Like a scammy travel agent?"

"Like the handsomest fox you will ever lay eyes on, Carrots", the fox corrected her, completely unbothered. Now that they were on familiar grounds to him, Nick was in a wonderful mood. His fears had subsided and made room for unmoderated joy, fuelled by the relief to find that his friend had not changed, and not given up on him, and, maybe most importantly: Honey had not doubted him for a second.

"I always knew you were innocent", Honey had said whilst she poured tea into three cups. "That whole bullshit about cold blooded killer just doesn't ring right. They're idiots for believing it. It was the sheep. It was always the sheep. I told you, didn't I."

Nick assured her that she had told him indeed, but he still doubted that it was the sheep specifically.

"But you were nearly stabbed to death by a ram", Honey reminded him. They had briefly relayed the story of their escape to her, as Nick had to explain what a cop was doing in the paranoid honey badger's secret hideout.

"Yeah. Nearly.", the fox waved the topic away dismissively and swaggered towards a chair with a confidence and relaxation that surpassed anything Judy had seen up to this point. The conversation had no place for the bunny there. At first they spoke about old friends and jobs, caught up on events. Nick told a few prison stories, and made the whole experience sound like a ride in an amusement park. Judy just sipped her tea and listened silently. Only occasionally was she graced by the odd look of the honey badger, whom it took over half an hour to put her empty cup on the table and raise her claws, looking between fox and bunny.

"So let's finally address the…bunny in the room.", she sighed. "Why'd you bring a cop into my house, Wilde? You can't honestly think this was a good idea."

Nick, his fox swaying gently, lifted his paws in a shrug. "Couldn't get rid of her. As far as I'm concerned, it's safer to keep her around so I know she isn't elsewhere ratting me out."

"The longer she stays with you the more information she'll carry right back to the police!"

"Good. Because I'm innocent. She can happily go and tell the fuzz that."

Honey grumpily sunk back into her seat, one claw pointing at Judy. She was nervous, the bunny realized. Her collar was flashing yellow. And was she not right to be nervous? Was it not only fair that a mammal whose home had been intruded upon by a stranger should feel displeasure? But the honey badger could not argue her point, Judy realized. Else she'd get punished by that restricting thing around her grey neck.

"Her loyalty doesn't lie with you, Wilde! Look at her! She's a prim and proper, by the book, example of a cop. She'll get nervous around you, around all of us, and then she'll want to be back in the clean parts of town, and get back with her force. And she'll say anything to make that happen."

Nick's expression swayed between hopeful and unsure. "She won't…"

"She will!", insisted the badger.

Judy suddenly set her tea cup down and jumped up onto her chair, het feet sinking into the cushion. " _She_ is IN THE ROOM!", she cried out. "And _her loyalty_ lies with _JUSTICE."_

With a passionate fervour that was not clouded by even a shred of doubt, the rabbit jumped off the cushion and towards honey, who, despite herself, flinched back. The rabbit raised a paw and pressed a finger into the predator's chest, her amethyst eyes locked on hers.

"I will not sit here and let you tell me who or what I am! I am not a traitor, I am not unjust, and I will be unbiased! I helped Nick because he saved me once, and I am helping him now because I want to know the _truth._ "

She stared right at the badger until she was satisfied that Honey would not talk back. Then the officer swirled around and marched right up to Nick, who would not be intimidated the same way. He sat still and comfortably, even when the bunny had jumped onto the same cushion as him and had grabbed his tie and pulled him forwards. Her words were met with a self-satisfied smile.

"And I have had enough of talk and empty words. You landed in prison because predators went savage, and you claim there was a reason for that. Well, mammals are going savage _again_. And innocent people are dying. So I suggest, Slick, that you start talking."

When her fit of passion had passed, she jumped back onto the floor unashamed, her arms crossed. Nick once again made a point of brushing imaginary dust off of his chest.

"The sooner we catch the culprit, the sooner I'll be out of your fur.", grumbled Judy.

"Fine, Carrots. You want me to play detective with you? Let's play. One thing first though."

Nick leant forward in his seat, his paws patiently folded under his snout. "Bringing you here was a gamble. Whatever happens, I want your word that you won't implicate Honey."

He held out a paw, and Judy shook it eagerly. "Done."

"Your word."

Judy took a deep breath and ran the words down as quickly as a machine.

"I promise on my honour as ZPD Officer of Precinct One, that I shall not implicate Honey" – the fox nodded contently, but Judy continued: "as long as my investigations find her innocent of any involvement with the murder or physical harm of the citizens of Zootopia."

"Fine. That's great."

"Well then!", the bunny smiled. She pulled her bag forward and slammed onto the table the case files she had intended to bring to a second interrogation with Nick Wilde that morning. Her face fell a little when she realized that the cardboard exterior of the case file was waved from the wetness it had endured thanks to her daring jump. The three mammals looked upon it with some uncertainty, and Judy narrowed her eyes when she carefully opened the folder.

A sigh of relief rippled through the three of them. The file was still readable. There were streaks of water here and there that had blurred the ink, but the majority was roughly distinguishable at least.

"A real police case file", Honey murmured in awe.

"Yeah. Maybe if you ask Carrots really nicely she'll let you add it to your conspiracy collection.", Nick said with wide eyes mimicking the honey badger's excitement. She nudged him in the side and he grinned with his half lidded expression, and Judy watched them wondering how these two mammals had found each other and slipped into the lives they lived now.

"Ahem", murmured Judy, loudly clearing her throat. "We have a job to do, Nick, remember? So if you'd please direct your undivided attention to the matter at hand…yes. The case file. And here, the first victim of the recent attacks."

Judy had turned the page from the introduction and contents to the victim's synopsis, and leant back thinking hard. Of course staring at a known victim she had often thought about before did not suddenly yield any new leads or discoveries, but she tried to look focused and professional whilst nervously glancing at the fox and the honey badger. The two of them took one look at the victim's photograph and exchanged a long glance. When they didn't say anything for a few seconds, Judy grew impatient and anxious. Biting her lower lip, she tapped her foot and unfolded her arms.

"So? Anything?", she prompted, and Nick stared at her long and hard before nodding abruptly.

"You're in luck, Carrots. I know the guy."


	10. Chapter 10 - Gentle Snowfall

_**Author's Note:** Bit of a longer chapter for you guys today. I really feel like structurally this is becoming messy, and I apologize, but with this story becoming harder to write I often don't end up proofreading it at all. I am aware that some of you thought Finnick was involved in the previous chapter for example, when I was simply trying to refer to one of the murder victims. Nick knows a lot of people! I hope this chapter isn't confusing. If it gets too bad, do tell me, but I am trying to just get these published and keep writing._

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

 **Gentle Snowfall**

* * *

"You know the guy? How?", Judy asked. Nick's expression had been full of eager anticipation when she had produced the case file folder, but had transformed into reluctance and unwillingness immediately at the sight of the victim's photograph.

"How would you feel about going to check out the crime scene?", Nick proposed instead of an answer. The bunny was immediately excited.

"Yes! Absolutely! I mean, the crime scene has long been cleared, of course, but…"

"Speak to the neighbours, check out the area.", the fox continued for her, and she nodded.

"Good. Let's go."

"You know the way?"

"Yup." With the air of _I know everyone, I know everywhere,_ the fox jumped out of his seat and picked up one of many hats dangling from a hat stand by the door. Honey was not too convinced.

"It's not safe for you out there, Wilde. They're after you. They could be around every corner!"

"Please. No one can look through this disguise", Nick said jokingly, pulling the fedora down over his eyes. He felt around with his paws dramatically. "Carrots, you'll have to be my eyes! Oh, the darkness? Where am I?"

"Stop playing around, Nick", Judy agreed. "It really is dangerous. Maybe I should go by myself."

"Do you know the way?"

"Well…", Judy raised a paw in anticipation of her next few confident words, but her face fell. "No."

"There's your answer then."

* * *

Despite being wrapped in one of the honey badger's scarves, Judy shivered in the cold. On her small figure, the piece of cloth looked more like a poncho. She was glad for the extra layer of clothing, because the unexpected trip to tundra town had caught her unprepared for the cold. The honey badger had parted with the scarf hesitantly, accusing Judy at once of never bringing it back, and using it as some evidence against her in court. It had taken Nick's convincing her to let the bunny borrow the scarf. He himself seemed more relaxed – dressed still in shirt and tie, with a large hat pulled into his face, he enjoyed the benefits of an unkempt and wild coat of fur, grown long during an apathetic prison stay.

For the moment, Nick was comfortable walking about. Most of the mammal's they encountered were predators, walking with hunched shoulders and lowered faces, barely meeting their glances. Nick's heart tightened at the sight of his fellow predators walking long curves around the obvious bunny. Tundra town had changed, he thought. There were a greater number of shady figures cowering in the icy shadows, trying to find shelter in card board boxes. They were wrapped in hole ridden and moth bitten blankets, staring out onto the open street out of dark, tired, suspicious eyes. Nick met their glances and shared a moment of understanding with them – tried, at least, to communicate his sympathy. But then they'd look away, and Nick didn't know if it was because they recognized him, or because he was a stranger. He saw so many homeless and pathetic figures in the dark that he became scared of seeing a familiar face.

A previous customer, maybe, or worse: a friend.

"Is it just me or has this place become worse since I've been gone?", Nick murmured to his investigating partner.

"A lot of things have changed recently…", Judy replied with a sigh. She was rubbing her arms against the cold, and scanned the area with growing discomfort.

"Does it make you uncomfortable to see how the evil preds live?", the fox prodded, a note of sharpness to his tone. Judy glanced up at him sadly. "I…yeah, I guess. I mean, it wasn't always like this, right? I could swear just a week ago…"

"What changed?"

"There's been unrest. Mayor Bellwether is really pushing the new safety regulations. You didn't hear? They specified areas for predators in each district. So all the predators living elsewhere had to move, and, well…it looks like there aren't enough houses."

"Of course not! They exiled them to the slums! Carrots, let me ask you. Have you ever had to spend a night in an alley? Do you have any idea what it's like to fear everyone that is walking by?"

Casting her amethyst eyes down, the bunny avoided him, stepped further away. "I know what it's like to fear every predator that passes me…" the fox flinched away at that answer, unsure. Was she still scared of him? Did prey really still fear predators, with the collars, and all the precautions? He searched the eyes of the bunny, still turned away from him, and imagined uncomfortably for maybe the first time what it would be like to be small like her, looking up at a fox with his sharp teeth and sly eyes. Would he fear himself? If he was a bunny? There was no instinct in him that told him to feed on prey… but was there an instinct in prey that still told them to run? Was their survival instinct stronger than a predator's instinct for the hunt? He disliked the memory of Judy flinching away from him, looking upon him like a murderer. She had not seen him as a saviour when he had pulled her out of the river and let her dry by the fire. She had thought him her captor.

"What are we supposed to do, Nick?", she asked quietly. "…it's…necessary…if predators are going savage again…IF", she underlined before he could interrupt her. "We'll find out, okay? If all of this is necessary. When the attacks stop, and the riots…maybe things can change for the better again."

Nick snapped out of his thoughts abruptly.

"Yeah, right.", the fox snorted.

"Do you have to be so pessimistic all the time?"

"it's called being realistic, Bunny. You should try it sometime."

They walked on in silence for a while. As the city got darker, and only few unbroken street lamps turned on, the two of them quickened their pace. Soon they had exited the slums, watched closely by bright yellow eyes staring from the shadows. There were predators guarding the borders, Nick realized. Silent soldiers watching for prey – not to attack, but to defend. Surely.

"I can't imagine the riots got very bad in Tundra town", Judy suggested when they were past the invisible line between predator and prey territory. "It is so cold here! Most prey from other parts of the city wouldn't like that."

"Need me to warm you up again, Fluff?"

"Thanks, I'll pass."

"Don't say I never offer", he smirked, trying to relax his stance. They were on unsafe grounds now. But the streets were empty. So close to the predator district, most prey wouldn't want to be out at night. Those were Judy's assumptions. Nick simply assumed that the prey was more comfortable living out their evenings beyond the rectangles of light adorning every house wall now, enjoying family and friends in the comfort of a warm home. The town had a magical touch here, light from windows making the blanket of snow that covered everything glisten.

And yet the magic couldn't reach the fugitive fox. This style of life was reserved for others, and he would always just be a dirty, ragged stranger looking in from the outside, longing, yearning. If he was seen now…he shuddered. Best distract himself.

"So, what was the crime scene like after the murder?"

"Bloody, I imagine." It was the bunny's turn to shudder.

"You imagine? Haven't you been, Officer?"

"Nope.", Judy shrugged, hurt pride glazing her eyes. "I haven't made detective yet. Actually…I am…I am a meter maid on most days."

Nick couldn't help but grin meanly. "Carrots, I'm honoured. You loved ticketing me so much that you have been trying ever since to encounter someone like me, huh?"

"Chief Bogo doesn't really let me do anything else. Doesn't trust I could do actual police work! I've been working so hard to earn his respect…I was kind of happy when he asked me to speak to you. I know it was only because I knew you a little already, but…it was responsibility, you know? And I messed it up…"

"You're a cute bunny. You'll easily find a job elsewhere. What do your parents do?"

"They're carrot farmers…"

"There you go then! You're sorted. You'll never be hungry."

The bunny stopped frozen for a moment, her eyes angrily fixed on his. "You don't understand, Nick."

She said this with the greatest grief, the greatest sense of betrayal. "It was my dream to be a police officer ever since I was a young bunny. Maybe no one else believed in me, but…I did! I did! And now I can't even believe in that anymore, because it's all gone. I've messed it all up."

"For me", he murmured.

"Oh, don't think so highly of yourself! What would you know? I can't imagine you ever tried to better the world."

"That's where you're wrong, Carrots! We all do our bit. I did mine, actually. You have no idea what Wilde Times meant to people! That was _my_ dream!" His voice had become low and growling, but she did not flinch. She leant in, a low burning fire in her purple eyes.

"Then you should understand what it's like to lose your dream."

"I do! So why are we fighting?"  
"We're not!", she groaned.

"Good!" Nick slowly unclenched his fists, let his glance travel over the white ground uncomfortably. "Good, because…I'm sorry."

And he meant it. There was guilt gnawing at him – the guilt he had felt at having lost his dream, and disappointed so many in the meantime, was no different from the guilt he felt at destroying someone else's dream. It was all the same. Ambitions were ripped away from him, crumbled around him.

He had been wronged, but not by this bunny. It was not right that she should suffer because of it. She had a real shot at her dream, after all. She had been born on the right side. Small, but prey. And oh, she was keen. Keen and clever, and quick – she would have made something of herself. Not like him, who would have eventually failed either way. Had he not been framed, it would have been the loans or the police that crippled his illegal, small, poverty stricken park in the end.

To his surprise, Judy laid a paw on his arm and made him look down to her. She glanced at him with a warm intent.

"Don't be. I chose to do this.", she said. "It's not right of me to blame you. It is…it is my job to right the wrongs of this city! To make the world a better place! And as long as I have this badge, I will not stop doing just that!"

The smirk returned to the fox's features, a comfortable, easy smile. "Hah. Big words for such a small bunny."

"Small ego for a fox!"

 _"_ _They need to be stopped."_

Nick and Judy both flinched at the sound of the strange voice, so close, yet strangely distorted. They turned about trying to identify the speaker, until they realized that the high pitched sound had come from a TV screen inside the window of a department store that they had approached unawares. Several screens lined up above and next to each other all showed the same image in different sizes: Mayor Bellwether, sitting with her legs crossed on a dark red arm chair in the company of a pig interviewer with thick red lipstick. The sheep wore a sharp business suit and a beaded necklace, looking confident and dangerously concerned at the same time.

Judy and Nick both exhaled with relief, but they had wordlessly stopped in their tracks and were staring at the screen.

 _"_ _Absolutely, they need to be stopped. Us little guys, us prey, we make up 90% of the population. And yet we cower in fear. Our numbers make this city distinctly ours. It is primarily our culture and our ways that dominate it, and yet we live frightened of a minority that has struck back at us after every attempt of peaceful coexistence. I believe we can no longer allow ourselves to be kind to these mammals. We have to defend ourselves. We have to defend our families and our children. If we want to see them grow up to be upstanding citizens of Zootopia one day, then predators should not be a threat to them. And in order to reduce this threat, measures need to be taken."_

"What a load of bullshit.", growled Nick.

The pig turned towards the camera, obviously reading off notes off screen. She turned back to Bellwether with a practised smile.

 _"_ _The majority of citizens fully support you in these claims, and have ever since you were elected one year ago. But there are a number of individuals that say predators in our current age are mistreated and discriminated. What is your stance on this?"_

 _"_ _There is no truth to that, my dear. We have recently begun moving predators into their own communities. If you think about it everyone will be more comfortable this way. Predators can live with species they have more in common with, and can be entirely themselves. Most predators feel the obligation after all to avoid prey, lest they be tempted to become dangerous. In their own communities, they can live fearlessly and act like themselves. Prey can live feeling a little safer each day. We cannot forget that predators have been given every freedom in this city. The previous mayor was, after all, a predator."_

 _"_ _You used to work as the assistant mayor for previous mayor Edward Striper, and were elected in his stead when savage attacks threatened the city about a year ago. What can you tell us about Striper stepping down as mayor?"_

 _"_ _Well, Grace, there was simply a conflict of interest. As a predator, Mr. Striper had a natural urge to defend carnivorous species and could not muster the strength to assure the safety of the wider public. It was obvious that the community would feel safer with one of their own as mayor."_

Judy's eyes were still glued to the screen with a discomfort she couldn't quite explain herself. Had the mayor always sounded like such a liar? Had they always disguised wrong doings with safety precautions? There were poor, freezing predators all over the Tundra Town slums – could this really be excused as creating a comfortable predator society?

Her amethyst eyes searched Bellwether's pixelated expression with intensity when Nick begun walking off, his paws buried in his pockets, his features soured with displeasure.

"I've heard enough."

Looking between the TV and the fox, Judy eventually ripped herself away from the screen and hurried after him, her heart thumping in her chest.

They reached the building in which the first victim had lived on the second floor after a few more minutes of walking. Judy and Nick approached it from the side, keeping themselves hidden in the darkness of an alley way. Pressed tightly against the wall, close together, they exchanged a look of determination.

"How did you know the way, Slick?"

"I know everyone, and I know where they live.", he shrugged. The bunny felt that there was more to the answer than that, but didn't push it. Nick nimbly made use of first metal bins and then the drain pipe running down the side of the building, to pull himself up onto a narrow balcony beneath an unlit second story window. He lay on his stomach and reached his paw down for Judy, who simply pushed herself off into the air on the lid of the pin and grasped the paw.

Nick pulled hard, and Judy landed atop of him, rolling off his slim body into a sitting position on the balcony.

"There's a bit of a cat burglar in you, isn't there", joked the bunny.

"I tried to join their ranks when I was a kit, but would you believe it? The cats wanted to keep the title amongst them." He tutted with fake disappointment.

"How are we going to get through the window?"

"Lend me that scarf for a second."

She did. Nick easily dropped himself off the balcony and climbed back up holding a rock in one paw. He covered it with the scarf, winked at Judy, who, when realization hit her, widened her eyes in protest, and smashed the rock through the window.

Glass shattered onto the inside, landing softly on carpet.

"Nick! We can't just break in!", she squeaked.

" _We_ aren't breaking in. I am. You just happened to watch." At that cue, he carefully picked glass shards out of the window frame, and then climbed inside to be swallowed by the darkness of the room. Judy remained reluctant for a moment.

"Well…it counts as probable cause.", she shrugged at the end, following the fox inside. It took her a while to get accustomed to the greater darkness. Nick on the other hand was standing in the middle of the room, frozen.

"Looks like that armadillo had a pretty bad time…"

"What do you mean – damnit, we should have brought a torch."

"No need. Here."

Nick approached the bunny that was still fumbling helplessly in the dark, and laid a paw onto hers. Gently he guided her fingers towards the carpet, and helped her run her paw down a long, narrow scratch, paralleled by three others.

"Are those…claw marks?"

"Yeah. They're everywhere. The bed's been torn, the sofa…this place is a mess. Carrots, some of the…some of the blood hasn't washed out of the carpet."

Nick's usually calm and confident voice sounded reluctant and scared. The claw marks were deep. Even when Nick disappeared from her side, Judy kept feeling them, shuddering at the thought of blood long dried on the carpet beneath her. Slowly, the shapes of furniture started to stand out to her vision. Nick was by the door, sniffing, feeling the door frame.

"You said the culprit got away, right? No CCTV in a house like this."

"The location is odd.", Judy agreed. "If a mammal just went savage, they wouldn't walk up the stairs and choose this flat specifically. They'd attack whoever they first laid eyes on, wouldn't they?"

"Talk about strange. There are no claw marks on the door, either. No splinters…no teeth…no dents...if someone escaped through this door, they just opened it and walked away."

"Maybe they went through the window?"

Nick shook his head.

"No, the glass was unbroken before we got here. No claw marks on the window frame either. I doubt a trapped savage animal would even consider the door and the window…Maybe the doctor was attacked outside, and dragged himself here to die?"

Judy, saddened by the thought, quickly and harshly shook her head. She was feeling the ripped bed sheets, let her gaze travel over the multitude of claw marks that had ruined furniture and torn through flesh. "The case file stated that there were no signs of struggle outside of this room."

"That does sound premeditated.", Nick agreed. He didn't seem to like that thought one bit. "So the attacker must have left the room sane. No savage beast escaped from here."

"Perhaps they were tranquilized. And someone took them."

"Who would benefit from doing that and not telling the police?"

"Someone that wants to protect the culprit.", Nick sighed. "Damn it. I don't believe this!"

Angrily, the fox started pacing up and down the room, his fangs bared, his calm demeanour vanished. For a split second Judy even saw a yellow light flash from his collar.

"Look at all this stuff! Fancy platinum clock, expensive furniture, a fine wine selection in the cupboard...I bet the bastard has nothing but brand suits in his wardrobe." He had picked up a strange, artistic looking sculpture off a shelf. Certificates adorned the walls, praising the doctor over and over for his contribution to society. There were pictures of the armadillo shaking the hands of official looking mammals – even a photo of him in a row of doctors, joined by mayor Bellwether.

"Nick! This is a dead mammal you're talking about…"

"Being dead doesn't make him any better a person", the fox hissed back. His tone concerned Judy. She shrunk back a little, dropping the corner of the bed sheet out of her paw. "Nick…?"

"Do you have any idea what kind of guy this Doctor Marty Jenkins was?"

"He…well he was a doctor. He saved countless lives…"

"Let me enlighten you, Fluff. Our friend Marty here was a Doctor, alright? But not the compassionate kind. He must have been about the only Doctor in these districts. And there used to be a fair few predators living here too. The winters here are harsh, Fluff. Not everyone can afford to rent a place elsewhere when the cold gets a little bit too bad. And some of us preds can't afford the heating. Marty here would only treat Prey. He turned the rest of us away at the door. There was an accident close to here one day. Some prey kids had gotten into a fight with the son of a single mother panther who lived not too far from here, and the kid slipped on the snow running away and hit his head bad. His mum had just been in the supermarket across the road, shopping. She came out to find her son unconscious and bleeding bad. He was dying, no doubts about it. He had lost serious amounts of blood at this point. So this desperate mother brings her child to Jenkin's praxis. His secretary called him in to see the child, and the guy takes one look at him and said _no. I'm not touching that scum. Go find a predator doctor to help you. Stop wasting my time._ "

The bunny cop leant weakly against the window frame, staring at the glass shards on the carpet. She had a bitter feeling that she wouldn't like the end of the story. But Nick had fallen silent. An angry, brooding silence that made the air feel heavy. "What happened?"

"Guess, Carrots."

Judy decided not to reply. They stared at each other in mutual misery for several seconds before they both flinched at a noise in the hallway outside. There were questioning voices beyond the unscathed wooden door, asking "Did you hear a noise as well?"

"The apartment should be empty!"

"You don't think the criminals have come back?"

Fox and bunny exchanged one look and then headed back towards the window, slipping back out into the night. The chilling air caught Judy off guard immediately. Nick laid the shawl back around her shoulders and slid down the drain pipe.

They forced their bodies to blend into the shadows of the alley, listening to their own hear beats pulsing in their chests. The street remained empty, no one checked the window they had just escaped from. Whatever neighbour's suspicion had been aroused by the noise returned to their own flats satisfied that it had been just the wind.

"Nick…"

They started walking, side by side once more, their paws buried in their respective pockets.

"You don't need to tell me, Carrots. We have established that there must have been at least one sensible mammal on the scene. And there is plenty of motive for a predator to kill this guy. That's what you're thinking, right?"

"It…does look like that.", she sighed, equally as disappointed as him. He willed his tone to soften. The bunny wasn't his enemy.

"Who were the other victims?"

She told him, name by name, species by species, and his face fell as she continued on.

"Those cashiers that died were bullies. I'd rather not go into it. Those bankers? Refused loans, and sometimes checks, for predators…. darn it. I know it looks bad. I know!"

As much as Nick wanted to believe that the predator community was innocent…why were the victims of these murders all so…despicable? He himself had wished death upon them at one point or another. He had regretted it then, maybe, and he sure as hell wouldn't have committed any actual crime – but was it so unlikely that another predator had acted upon similar thoughts? All things considered they had it coming. They deserved what they were getting in the eyes of the predator community.

The fox could not sincerely claim that there were no violent predators.

"Maybe it was meant to look like that?", Nick suggested meekly. "Maybe they're just trying to make predators look bad again! I am convinced that's what happened to me so…."

"But when you were framed there was a mayor election going on", Judy murmured, deep in thought. "I suppose back then they didn't want a predator mayor, so making predators look back…"

They both stopped, turning towards each other with wide eyes and said nearly simultaneously:  
"…would make Mayor Bellwether win the election!"

Judy raised a paw to box his arm playfully. "Nice deducing, Nick."

"That's _Detective_ Nick", he corrected her smugly, tipping his fedora to her. "I wear this hat for a reason."

"Still, right now that is just…a theory. An assumption. We can't jump to conclusions."

The fox nodded in agreement. "But it's a possibility."

"I suppose. But there is nothing like that going on right now! Prey have already won – Bellwether is already mayor; the predators are already being exiled – why would anyone make it worse?"

Nick angrily thumped his clenched paw against a stone wall. They were treading back towards the worse parts of Tundra Town, making their way back to the rain forest district, when Nick stopped in his tracks.

"You wanted to know how the collars could be removed.", the fox murmured. His tone carried a hint of resignation, an uncomfortable despair. Judy, stopped in her tracks by his serious voice, turned back to him with an uncomfortable nod.

"I'll take you there.", Nick said. "All it takes to remove a collar is a scanner – either as police issue or medical equipment. Pay the right amount of money and you can get pretty much anything – illegal or not."

"So someone really _could_ be removing collars illegally!"

Hands in his pockets, Nick Wilde shrugged in agreement. His expression was pleading. "You got to understand, Judy…"

"Who? Tell me, show me, who has one of those devices! We could be really close to finding our culprit!"

"Fine. But we do this my way. I need you to follow my lead, because this guy, he isn't going to be happy to see me. Last I know he should be here in Tundra Town. Up in the fancier districts. He does not like me, and he is not going to like you, either."

"Who?"

"Koslov."


	11. Chapter 11 - News

_**Author's Note:**_ _Bit of a shorter chapter. It wasn't done, but I thought I'd update a little bit instead iof letting you wait for even longer. I am struggling to write this at the moment. The plit is mostly planned out, but I just can't PICTURE it in my head, and when I write so distractedly I feel like you can't picture it either. With the summer coming up I will soon be very busy, so I must regrettably warn you all that there will be a long break in updates soon. Y'all have been really great so far, and I appreciate all the support this story got._

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 **News**

* * *

Even with squinting, intent eyes, Judy couldn't quite fathom what she was looking at. They were standing before the closed gates of an old factory building, with perhaps half a mile between themselves and the actual construction. Nick was less confident than his usual self in the presence of the towering wall of concrete, surrounded by barbed wire fences.

"This is where…we can find Koslov?", she asked hesitantly. They had returned to a nicer part of tundra town. It dawned on Judy that they were dealing with organized crime, that a predator so well situated within the city had both money and a reputation to hold himself safely above water.

Nick seemed unsure. He glared up at the building as though he expected a light to flare up in one of the windows, but the building remained drowned in an eerie silence, the windows black and hollow like blind eyes.

"Strange. Looks like nobody's home. Usually you'd see the occasional shady figure passing by a window. This place is strangely unimposing tonight.", murmured the fox with one raised brow. The bunny had to agree. There was no sign of life beyond the fence, no figure lurching in the dark, no lights or sounds. On top of that, she noticed, the premises had been fenced off by yellow tape not too long ago. Remains of it were still tied around the closest lamp post, and one bar of the gate. When she pointed it out to Nick, his ears sunk back.

"If he's not here…where is he?"

There were voices approaching from around the corner. Both mammals' ears shot up as they turned first towards the source of the noise, than towards each other, and they wordlessly scurried away. The distant sound of sirens joined the noise, and Nick, in a panic now, grabbed the bunny's wrist and began to pull her into an alley. Judy protested, the weight of her body slowing him, when she saw that they were heading into a dead end.

"Nick, what the hell are you doing? We can't escape from here!"

"I know a way out!", the fox hissed back, and to the bunny's horror he lowered himself to the ground and pulled a manhole cover out of the street to uncover a deep hole below. Without hesitation he slipped down into the sewers, and Judy followed with an impatient twitch of her nose.

Soon she could smell nothing but an enveloping cloud of stench. It numbed her senses and made her dizzy for a moment. The air in the sewers was moist and cold, and the darkness was deeper than the night above. With her back to the wall and her feet nervously planted to the floor, Judy waited for Nick to shift the manhole cover back over their escape route and jump down to her side.

"See? Easy. They won't come after us. And it gets better – I know where we can go from here."

"Where are we heading?"

"Back to Honey's, for now. I can't shake the feeling that she forgot to tell me some things."

Judy sighed, feeling in the dark for his presence. She leant weakly against his arm, wondering for a second when she had become so comfortable in doing so. "It stinks."

Even without looking upon his face she guessed his expression – a smug, mocking, sarcastic smile.

"The sewers? Stinking? Rabbit, what an outrageous idea."

"How can you stand it? The stench must be even worse for you."

Carefully treading behind one another, they started moving along the small path that ran beside the water. Light fragmented and broke on the surface of the stream, reflecting a faint, dirty, green shine onto the ceiling. It looked strangely pretty – in a mesmerizing, taunting way.

"Oh, you know. You get used to these sort of things."

She was about to retort and question how someone got used to these sort of things, when Nick extended his paw out to her and stopped her by her shoulder. He held one finger to his snout as he looked ahead. A shadow cast on the wall around the corner was growing larger, and eventually a large rat, much smaller than his shadow, stepped into their view, regarding them with narrowed, small dark eyes. As Judy stiffened, Nick relaxed.

"Hi there.", he greeted casually. "Is this _your_ part of the sewers? We were just passing through."

"Har har. Rat in de' sewers, so ya assume it's ought to be a sewer rat, all stereotypes and stuffs.", grumbled the rat. "Well, sure, ya just trample through mah home, feel free, I dun care, I says."

"Glad to hear it", chirped the fox. "Say, you wouldn't know what happened to", and he lowered his voice, nearly whispering the name behind a raised paw. "Koslov, would you?"

"Sure I do, everyone do.", grinned the rat. "He left Tundra Town with his tails between his legs, you knows, if his tail was long enough, that is, of course. When all them riots broke out."

"Where did he go?"

"Set up his base elsewhere, he did." The rat eyed the two of them in the shadow suspiciously. A bunny and a fox ought to have been a strange sight. A paler light lit the path before them, so that both the rat and the other two mammals were standing in protective darkness. Made brave by perhaps the anonymity, the rat raised its snout proudly. "What do I gets for telling ya though?"

Judy was going to come up with a suggestion of how helping a follow citizen was reward enough. Or perhaps she would have mentioned that she was police, and the occupation of city maintenance facilities such as the sewers was quite illegal. But before she could open her mouth, Nick stepped into the light, a grim sigh escaping him. "Help us out here, buddy."

The rat stared at him uncertainly. "You is Nick Wilde, isn't ya."

"The one and only.", the fox bowed sarcastically.

Nervous all of a sudden, the rat scuttled back. "I meant no trouble, I didn't. Just trying to get by, you knows? I'll tell ya though, so no reason to be mad or anything."

With a smile that carried a visible note of bitterness, Nick dismissively gestured for the rat to speak.

"I'm listening."

* * *

"When were you going to tell me, Honey?"

"I was going to…soon. I didn't want to ruin your mood just when you got back! Besides, the cop, and all…."

Honey weakly gestured towards the bunny that sat on one of the cushioned arm chairs with strictly folded arms, staring down the honey badger with a ferocity she didn't feel. She heard talk about Wilde Times many times at this point, but to her it was an abstract concept, a distant idea to which she felt no emotional connection. The image of the amusement park would never form concretely in her head, a swirl of shapeless colours that lacked substance or meaning. To Nick however, it meant the world. And there was a pained fury in his gaze as he stared down his friend.

"I thought Wilde Times had closed. I mean… I knew it would, but…it's my warehouse! How did this happen?"

"He-he just stormed in one day with his bodyguards, all suits and sunglasses, and said he'd claim the building back because you still owe him the money…"

The fox's ears dropped back in bitter resignation, and some of his anger evaporated as he paced aimlessly through the cluttered room.

"I'm sorry Nick – I know how much it meant to you."

"What became of Benji? Where's Finnick?", retorted Nick, his ever shifting face pausing momentarily in an expression of concern.

The honey badger ran a paw through her short cropped white fur and sighed. "Benji is doing odd jobs. Pretty sure he was a delivery boy for a while. He even sang the messages at the door. And Finnick…", her expression grew dark, storm clouds passing through her eyes. Nick froze on the spot, meeting her gaze. Judy tried hard to think back to whether she recognized the name. Whoever it was, he held an important position in Nick's life. That much was without doubt. She recognized it in the fidgeting of his paws, the restless trailing of his tail.

"Look, Nick, things have been shit lately, alright? I wish I could have helped out Wilde Times, but it was closed for months with yellow tape all around it. I think there is still….a stain…"

She didn't finish the sentence, and the group shuddered simultaneously.

"Finnick tried hard to find something to do with himself. We all did. But it just wasn't the same anymore. Nothing was the same without you. We lost track of each other. We don't talk often anymore. In the end we had to realize that you were the sticky glue holding us together, Wilde, and we just couldn't do it without you."

"Where is he? What is he doing?"

"I don't know. Not really. But I know he's joined the riots. Shouting his little lung out by the new borders, with signs and shit like that. Alright? He's fine, I'm sure he's fine. He's just…angry. We all are." With a look of accusation, she momentarily regarded Judy. The bunny sank deep into her chair, her knees pulled to her chest.

"Is it dangerous? Are they…are they getting hurt?", murmured Nick. He had forced himself to take a seat, his paws occupied with another cup of tea. They had been glad to come in for a hot drink after wandering through Tundra Town and the sewers. Nick was in his second set of clothes – hardly different from the first set, and Judy was wearing nothing but one of Honey's far larger shirts whilst she waited for her washed police uniform to dry. Had it not been for the tension in the air, the situation would have been strangely mundane. As though the bunny and the fox just came back home to a friend from a winter walk, and were just warming up. The little house above the trap door to the bunker had a strange cosiness to it, made characteristic by so many strange little trinkets and items.

"I don't know.", sighed the honey badger. "No, I….I think they are just passive aggressively glaring each other down. The preds have to be careful not to get too angry, so…it's a silent effort."

Judy uncomfortably remembered the piercingly sharp eyes glaring at her from the dark when they had passed from the slums to the better parts of the district. It was a lurking, silent threat.

"I don't understand.", said Judy. "The last mayor was a tiger, right? I thought…I mean; didn't he look out for you? Didn't he care about the fairness of it all? He was a predator; he should have made things right."

To her surprise, both Nick and Honey rolled their eyes and exchanged a look of knowing dismissal.

It was Nick who turned to her with smug impatience and dismissively expressed: "Sweetheart, the last mayor was a figurehead. A 'Hey, we love everyone equally!' bumper sticker on a van full of ex-bullies with a want to restore their reputation so they can go on the school trip."

"…what? But he was mayor, he…one of the most powerful people in the city!"

"Yeah. A pushover. Do you honestly think he had much of a say? Did you watch any of his interviews? He talked as if he was doing us a favour, with the collars, with standing down as mayor. He might as well have been reading of note cards telling him exactly what to say and do. Trust me, Carrots, that mayor was for show. Bellwether has been running this ship for longer than you think."

"He never fought back? He never fought for you?"

Judy couldn't believe it. Could there really be a powerful mammal so absorbed in retaining his position and easy life that he would sacrifice the entirety of the predator community? The last mayor too, after all, had been wearing a collar. Shared suffering may have tied some closer together, but tempted others to step over corpses if necessary to rise to the top. Was that the sort of animal Mayor Edward Striper had been?

"Maybe he did fight. Maybe that's when all of this started.", Honey murmured in crazed enthusiasm. "They released him off his service and he went _craaaaazy_ and _savage._ "

Judy was caught up in the idea momentarily until she watched Nick roll his eyes dramatically.

"What is he doing now?", the bunny asked. Had the tiger mayor fallen to the same level as all the other predators? Had the community condemned him to be forgotten and disregarded?

"No idea.", shrugged the fox. "I do know one thing though. This fox has some things to do." And with those words he rose from his seat, setting the empty cup down on the table. "I'm gonna pay a visit to my old love – the beautiful Wilde Times."

"Who's that?", Judy jumped up also, quickly pulling her still slightly damp trousers off a coat hanger and putting them on. The fox lifted a finger and shook it before her face, dismissing her.

"No. You're not coming. This is between me and Koslov – no offense, carrots, but your prim little police attire is not gonna make you any friends there. Nah-ah. You're staying here."

"You promised you'd help me investigate!"

"That's exactly what I'm doing, Fluff. Trust the fox – I've got this. Never you fear. But the fuzz ain't welcome. Bye bye now. Stay here like a good girl."

He patronizingly ruffled the fur on top of her head and she glared up at him, fuming. Before she could retort however he was through the door, just one arm shooting back to pick the fedora hat back up. Then even the red furred arm was gone, and Judy remained alone under the glare of fluorescent light and the suspicious honey badger.


	12. Chapter 12 - Ruins

**Author's Note:** _I completely overdid it with the analogies this chapter. It's okay. You can call me out on it. But hey! You didn't have to wait ages for an update! As always, you guys have been great and your support is what keeps this story going. I am in a lot of stress right now trying to organize a place to live next year, so it's not easy at the moment to get immersed in anything. I hope you enjoy this chapter._

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

 **Ruins**

* * *

With yellow tape wound tightly in his fist and his ears flat against his head, Nicholas Wilde looked at the ruins of his dream. In the darkness by the river shore stood the skeleton of a once lively and healthy body – Wilde Times, its light broken and dull like blind eyes, its paint crumbling, its posts and signs hanging off the hinge like broken fingers on a decaying corpse.

There was no sound of laughter, nor mechanic chirping, nor eager voices washing out of the doors to the ware house. A wooden cut out of Nick's own figure lay in the moist grass, moulding and brittle.

The only lights were the distant, sickly orange street lamps on the parking lot far above, and the stars shining weakly through the smog of the city. The only sound were the waves washing up on concrete and wet wood where the floating market stretched its old planks across the waters.

Nick swallowed hard and failed his tail trail absentmindedly across the cold floor. The ruin before him was still surrounded by yellow tape. He had a vivid image in his mind describing a dried, browned blood stain on the dusty floor, tape marking the position of a dead figure around the spot. Would there be some tape by the arcade machine, where he had so long ago seen the decapitated head of the sheep? Would there be another accumulation of tape by its torn apart leg?

Nick felt nausea in his stomach at the memory. Terror and sickness had not set in back then until the tranquilizer had worn off, and he had been left to himself in an observation cell, shocking himself over and over with the memory until his mind grew numb and his body resilient. Nothing had quite gotten to him the same way since.

He had wanted to reclaim Wilde Times. Of course it had been a foolish fantasy – even if Koslov had not taken over the ware house there would have been no way for Nick to safely operate the park in the same location. It was haunted by bloody memories now. The police had their eyes on the place, surely. And yet Koslov deemed it save. Saver at least than being within the prey community at this point.

With all the bravery he could muster, Nick let go off the yellow tape and dived under it, stalking steadily towards Wilde Times. It didn't take long for two figures to peel themselves out of the shadows – two bears whose polar white fur stood in stark contrast to the dark night. They wore shades covering their faces and business suits, creating an image of professionalism that would have stuck out in the amusement park back in its glory days. Now Wilde Times was the ghost of a carnival town, and a bloodied spirit would have better suited its image. Nick, clearing his throat, stepped forward yet bravely until his way was blocked by the two large bears with their crossed arms.

"What are you doing here, Wilde?", growled one of the bears. Nick picked at his collar, trying to breathe easier.

"Is that Kevin? Hey! Long time no see, right? How's the family?"

The polar bear that wasn't Kevin, but surely looked almost like him, picked Nick up by his tie and lifted the struggling fox up in the air.

"You were asked a question, Fox."

"I need to see Koslov! I was told I could find him here. Feeling nostalgic, you know?"

"Last I remember you owe him money.", shrugged Kevin. "You got money?"

"About that – no. But! It's been a year, I thought, hey! Check on good old Koslov, make him feel welcome in…my park. Yeah, that's right. Come on, guys, I've been in prison for a year. Give a fox a chance to catch up."

"It's two in the morning, Nick," Kevin sighed.

"I…. know, but…" the fox had little hope of being accepted in, and a part of him relished in the fact that he would not have to see the blood stain, would not have to see his beloved park's carcass, would not have to speak to Koslov. But the bunny. The bunny wouldn't be happy. And he wanted to see his park! He wanted to have it back! And for that, all this would need to be figured out.

In the end it was a tiny polar bear stepping out of the door in his pyjamas that saved him. Little Boris, Koslov's pride and joy, stepped out towards the larger bears rubbing his eyes. "Ish two in the morning…", the little guy murmured. "what are you doing?" He crossed his little arms with an innocent severity that made Nick's features soften. The polear bear that wasn't Kevin dropped Nick unceremonially.

"Sorry, Boris. Did we wake you?", Kevin asked gently.

"No. I was getting a glass of water – wait is that…is that Nick?"

The cub looked at the fox who was scrambling back onto his feet, adjusting his tie. Nick stared at him awkwardly, wondering idly if the child lived here now. He thought to remember Koslov lived where he worked previously, so if they left tundra town… he supposed Boris had to leave as well.

When the cub was sufficiently convinced that it was indeed the fox, he raced towards him with open arms and buried his face in Nick's chest.

"Nick! It's been forever! Are you going to open Wilde Times again? Can I live at Wilde Times now? Please, please, can I?"

"Heeeey. You have grown! Look at you!" Nick pushed the cub away at arm's length, giving him a cheerful smile. "I miss Wilde Times too, buddy. If I ever open the park again, you can be fun-supervisor, alright?"

"What's that? Is it important?"

"It's the most important role in the entire park," Nick affectionately ruffled the fur on the cub's head. The little bear beamed with excitement.

"I'll go tell Dad that you can open Wilde Times again and that I'll be fun supervivor! Can I, Kevin? Can I? Dad is up anyway, right?"

"Are you sure, Boris?"

"Yup! His office lights are always still on when I go get water! I bet he is still doing his work."

Nick knew as well as the other polar bears that Boris had likely little to no idea what the 'work' of his father entailed. Kevin's reluctance was written across his features. Well, the half of his features not covered by shades. But eventually, with a deep sigh, he gave a nod of approval, and the polar bears stepped aside to let Nick pass between them. Escorted by Kevin, Nick took a deep breath and stepped through the curtains beyond the entrance into the warehouse.

His senses were clouded with bitter nostalgia at the sight of the painfully familiar structures. Most of the attractions had been deconstructed and lay in piles of wooden planks and cardboard on the side of the warehouse, towering there with jagged edges. The rawr-ercoaster was the only one still standing, its track twisting through the emptied building like the spinal column of a beast. All of Wilde Times was a dead creature to Nick. If not dead, then heavily injured, at least. The familiarity of the smell in the air reminded him painfully of what had been, and was no more.

Nick saw that a few more trailers had been brought into the ware house. They were filled, Nick assumed, with rooms for Koslov's people, including a nursery for young Boris. Boris had been an eager fan of Wilde Times ever since he had received his collar on his fifth birthday. Nick had attended the party and suffered the sorrow on the innocent child's face as he ran back into his father's arms. If Nick had ever felt close to Koslov, it had been in that single short moment.

With the cub running ahead of them, Kevin led them towards the trailer that had used to be Nick's office, and knocked his heavy paw on the door.

"It is late", came the voice from within, heavy with Russian accent. "Why are you disturbing me?"

The voice softened when not Kevin, but Boris replied. "Daddy? Nick is back! Can we move back home now? Can Wilde Times come back?"

"Back to bed, Boris.", the voice said gently. It was getting louder as steps from the inside approached, and then Koslov opened the door, his eyes glued to the form of the little cub. He picked up the bear and looked him sternly in the eyes. "Bed. Now. Daddy will talk to you tomorrow."

Boris made his disappointment known through loud groaning, but didn't disobey. The fox watched the cub disappear around the corner with some dismay, knowing that the presence of the child had kept him save.

"Come in, Nicholai. Let's talk. That's what you're here for, da?"

With his shoulders drawn up, Nick entered the office. It had an unfamiliar smell of bear fur and expensive cologne, fish and vodka. Absentmindedly, the fox almost stepped around the desk to his old chair (which had been replaced with a much larger, leather armchair), but he redeemed himself in the last second by planting himself down onto a stool in front of the heavy wooden desk that Koslov now claimed as his own.

But there was no time to get comfortable. Before Nick could say a word to explain himself, the bear had ripped him up into the air by his collar and slammed him into the wall. Nick felt the air yield out of his lungs and a cold panic grasp his heart. With his collar rapidly flashing yellow he stared up into Koslov's dark eyes. "Wait, wait wait! I can explain!", whined the fox, but nothing could stop the extended claws of the bear rush towards him.

Nick clenched his eyes closed. At the very same moment the claws connected with – his neck? His collar? – the device tightened around his throat gave him a terrible shock. Black spots blurred the fox's vision as pain surged through his whole body. A thin dripple of blood sunk into his thinned neck fur.

Before Nick could assess what happened, he was let go and fell to the floor helplessly. He felt his neck. The collar was intact, but the leather was ripped in one spot, and a circular hole yielded to his feeling fingers beneath. With a pained and confused expression, Nick stared up at the bear who had stepped back and calmly taken a seat in the arm chair behind his desk. He slung an item onto the surface before him – a tiny, metallic part.

"Why are you here, Nicholai? The police are after you. You endanger me and my family by coming here. This is no longer your place."

Nick, grateful for the life he thought gone mere seconds ago, forced himself to take a seat. He sat slumped, frightened, his collar indicator still a dangerous yellow. Only when his eyes saw the metal chip on the table did he realize what the bear had been after. The small tracking device had been removed from his collar.

"Wilde Times will always be mine.", Nick murmured firmly.

"No. You never paid back your debt. I gave you more time than you deserved, because what you were doing meant a lot to the community. But no one trusts you now. This place will never be what it was, and it will never again be yours. I should have you killed for your impudence. Coming here unannounced in the middle of the night – endangering my family with your presence…your face is plastered on TVs all over the city."

The polar bear's face was serious, resigned. Perhaps he had never intended to rip Wilde Times away the way he did. Nick couldn't imagine the powerful mafia boss to enjoy living in an abandoned warehouse amongst the skeletons of amusement park attractions.

"You're right. I'm sorry.", Nick yielded. "But I'm not here about any of that."

Momentarily surprised, the bear raised a single eyebrow and folded his large paws on the table.

"Speak. But speak quickly. I want you out of here as soon as possible."

"Am I right in assuming that…you are here because of the situation in Tundra Town?"  
Koslov nodded gravely. "Not just Tundra Town. Everywhere in Zootopia. I cannot conduct business when there is such tension. Too much attention from the police. Business has been bad. Very bad."

"Then perhaps I may continue in my assumption that the current murders are not doing you any good."

"I am a business man. Not a cold blooded killer, Nicholai."

Nick begged to differ, but preferred to keep these thoughts to himself. "So, what would you say if someone was to find the culprit, shut them down, and perhaps negotiate with the police to lay off the borders a bit?"

"There is no such cop that would speak to us."

"Actually…there is." Koslov's suspicious glance made him hurry his answer. "I mean, I know someone! I know everyone. There is this teeny tiny problem though. No biggie. In fact, you might just be able to help us out. Here's the thing, Koslov, old Chap. The killers are likely operating without collars. And you and I surely remember when we talked about introducing collar scanners to my business…I was just wondering if perhaps you had expanded on the idea with another buyer?"

"Giving away the names of my clients would be bad practice. My customers rely on my discretion."

"Yeah. I understand that. Mhm, absolutely. However, you know…you are potentially harbouring a murderer. Koslov, come on. It's me! I'm not going to get these guys into any trouble they don't deserve. And most importantly, I would never want to make any trouble for _you_."

Koslov nodded, a sly grin playing around his lips. "You would regret making trouble for me."

"See? We already agree on something."

With barely any effort, Nick had swung one arm around the back of his chair and had set his expression into a half lidded smirk.

* * *

Of course Judy felt a little guilty having followed him like that. Wrapped in one of Honey's darker scarfs, her ears tucked back and her snout hidden, she darted after the fox like a shadow shifting its shape in the darkness. Her light feet made it easy to stay silent, and she hoped that Nick had been too close to her these past few days to pick up on the fact that the scent of rabbit fur was too strong here in the park.

Judy had followed him with no worse intention than eager curiosity, and had ducked behind a few brittle looking crates when Nick had been led into Wilde Times by one of the bears. There was only one left now – separating the bunny from the wonderland of information inside. She understood why Nick had told her not to follow – why these people would shut off at the mere idea of a cop – but she could not let that hold her back!

After all this mafia organisation could be consisting of the culprits. Nick might be in danger. And so Judy scanned the ware house for another entrance and was blessed with a hole in one of the walls that no larger mammal would ever have fit through. She darted across the path as quickly as possible, narrowly escaping the eyes of the polar bear, and forced her body through the opening and inside.

With hunched shoulders she snuck about, smelling and listening, nervously glancing everywhere at once. This was Wilde Times. Against the opposite wall of the ware house Judy could still recognize the sad remains of a roller coaster. The place had a nostalgic, heart breaking air to it – a sense of dead dreams and crumbling happiness. Judy felt as though she could hear laughter in the wind howling through the cracks in the wall, haunting sounds of splendours long gone.

She saw the attractions taken apart and stacked by the walls, the arcade machines pushed to the side, and found herself wondering how this place could ever have been a sin. The bunnies enjoyed a fair in bunny borrows for the carrot festival each year, and went wild on the rides. Zootopia was full of the occasional adrenaline seeking attractions. But no predator was allowed to take part in such activities. The collars wouldn't permit it. How was that fair? How were these fun attractions promised to the predator community a danger to anyone?

And worst of all, she saw Nick around every corner. On card board and wooden cut outs, a smile plastered confidently on his features. It was a smile so full of self-fulfilled confidence and happiness that she felt a twinge of sadness at the thought that she had never seen him wear it. The sparkle in his eyes was gone.

Judy pressed her back against a trailer wall as she snuck around the improvised rooms and offices. She could hear gentle snoring from inside and stopped to pause, startled by the sound. A range of posters decorated the door to the room, and a rectangle of dim light fell through a roughly cut out window into the ware house. The bunny looked up at the posters, where the newest one set itself apart from the dustier predecessors.

"Hm…. hang on a minute…", she murmured, bringing her purple eyes close to the poster. It was at this moment that two doors opened – one far behind Judy where the polar bear standing guard had finally stepped inside the warehouse, one opening a trailer not too far from her, the figure of a fox stepping out with grave features. When Nick and Judy lay eyes on each other their features shifted. Hers fell to a wave of relief, whilst his tensed with anger and fright. He mouthed the words:

" _Carrots, what the hell are you doing here? I told you to-"_

When a far larger figure stepped out of the trailer behind him and left the fox covering in its shadow.

The large white bear with his deadly eyes took just one look at Judy before his eyes narrowed and he said, just loud enough for the approaching guards to hear: "Get her."

Nick and Judy darted towards each other, Judy intend to pull him towards the hole she had found, Nick pulling her into an entirely different direction. After a moment of tearing and struggling the bunny was swept up by her fugitive friend and they ran like the wind, scurrying across dusty floor until they reached a wall and the draft from the outside hit Judy.

They darted through an opening into the night air, narrowly escaping the claws closing around thin air behind them. Growling and cursing could be heard from the inside. Nick dropped Judy to the floor and continued running, barely looking back to make sure she was following.

Sirens sounded in the air. Not too far, not too close, Judy realized. She feared they'd be closed in – where could they run? Where would they be unpredicted? She didn't expect the sudden turn to the left the fox described, and anticipated even less the darkness that swallowed them when they were climbing up a narrow stair case encased in a cement tube. The tunnel let them ever upwards until they escaped through what looked like the interior of a small clinic. Dusty shelves filled with various dubious vials and chemicals decorated the walls.

The place carried the medicinal smell of disinfectants. "What the hell were you _thinking_ carrots?", whined the fox, finally spinning on the spot to face her. His claws were extended and his body was tense, the collar on his neck flashing yellow. Judy stood with her nose twitching and her ears pushed back, and calmly exhaled. "Nick, your collar... first calm down. Please. I'm sorry."

"I'll tell you what you were thinking! Nothing! You weren't thinking! You just couldn't trust me to take care of this, could you. Sly old Nick, surely the fox can't be trusted on his own. Is that what it was, Carrots? Did you think I'd betray your little investigation?"

"No, Nick….your collar…"

"I went because I could trust _myself_ to handle Koslov! If he had seen you, if he had gotten his paws on you, you would be _dead, Fluff!"_

Zap.

Nick reeled back in pain as the collar momentarily flashed red and his body contorted in a wave of anguish. Judy hurried to his side to stop him from collapsing and gently guided him to the only left cot in the room, against which he leant whilst he caught his breath. His expression revealed itself to her now as concern and sincere fear, something she had not considered he would feel at the thought of her demise. She gently laid a hand on his arm and squeezed it. "I'm fine. I…I was scared for you, too. These guys sounded dangerous, and….you hadn't been to your park in so long."

"There's nothing left of my park.", he sighed.

"Nick, I'm so sorry."

"Heh. It's not like I expected anything else." He shrugged her off. The poker face had taken control of his features again. "Sorry to disappoint you, Officer, but I found out next to nothing. Koslov does have a few devices that can disable collars. And he has sold at least one of them. Don't ask me though who his customer is, because he was not happy to tell me. I failed, alright, Carrots? I suppose this was all for nothing."

"I don't think it was…", Judy beamed at him. With one swift motion she pulled out the poster. She had ripped it off the wall when darting towards Nick, and had folded it untidily into her pocket during their escape. Now, unfolded, albeit crinkled, Nick's eyes widened at the sight of it.

"Animalia circus? Come see predatory wonders at the wildest circus in the city…Sahara Square. What's this about, carrots?"

Proudly, the bunny pointed her finger at the figures depicted on the poster. There were leopards jumping through hoops and cats balancing on a tight rope above a pit of fire. Whether or not the depiction was close to reality hardly mattered.

"It's a circus run by predators, Nick! Circuses run on adrenaline! Tight ropes, fires...heights...knife throwing...These predators could never perform any sort of dangerous act. Unless…."

Nick clicked his fingers as realization crossed his features.

"Unless they had their collars removed!"

"Bingo.", grinned the bunny.

"Bingo.", echoed the fox.


	13. Chapter 13 - Rain

_**Aithor's Note:**_ _This is just a tiny chapter, and you guys deserve way more and way more often. But I have been super busy, and my interest in this story is next to dead. I know it's not fair on you guys, and I wish I could keep my motivation up, but when it comes to fan-work I always end up feeling distinctly that I should be working on my own projects instead. It is completely uncertain at this point what will become of this story, and I do apologize if I don't finish it. I know you guys liked it, and I am really happy for that. Hope you enjoy this little flesh-out scene._

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

 **Rain**

* * *

Cowering together under a large green leaf in the Rainforest District, a fox and a rabbit sat back to back. The air smelled of wet asphalt and wet fur, and the bunny's nose was twitching with the overwhelming sensation of humidity heavy with scents. The moisture had crept through her clothes and fur and left her cold and shivering. Only the body behind her, Nick's firm back, provided some source of warmth in the early morning hours.

They had walked for an hour trying to get back to Honey's place via a detour so to not be detected. Police cars were hurling past them when they walked through a ditch just below a busy motor way. The sirens were like excitedly shouting birds, seagulls that had spotted a swarm of fish in the moving waters. They were on a track – Judy's dutiful senses as a cop told her so. Not knowing any better, she assumed they were after them. Nick and Judy.

Runaway criminals. Scum in the eye of the law. Did the police know she had betrayed them? Or did they think Nick had master minded her abduction? Was Chief Bogo worried?

"There is no point in waiting out the rain", Nick yawned tiredly behind her. "We are soaked already. Might as well walk on."

Judy nodded, but made no effort to get up. She leant her head back against Nick's back, surprised by the comfort his presence provided. Not two days ago she had carried a fox repellent in her pocket, after all.

"Why did you build Wilde Times, slick Nick?"

She felt him shrug. "I thought predators needed something like that in their lives. You know, some outlet. Some place to be themselves. I got the idea when my collar was taken off at the doctor's. First time in years. It was the best feeling; you know? I felt…free. I felt like myself."

"You don't feel like yourself now?"

"Yeah, but…not quite. I mean, I feel like I am only eighty percent of myself, you know? I can be all my calm and collected self, play it cool, be the good old casual Nick – but I can never be angry Nick, or frightened Nick, or actually-having-fun Nick."

Judy tried to picture the Nicks he described. It was hard to think of Nick as anything but cool and collected. Had he been angry, it might even have frightened her. But she knew there was comfort in sharing one's feelings with another – sharing them openly, loud and ugly. It was like a wave of hot water that washed all the poison out of the body. Cleansing, freeing. What shadows crept around the fox's heart? What heartbroken beasts slept within each predator?

"Wilde Times was more than I could ever have dreamed", Nick continued unprompted. "Mammals were happy. Really happy. Even if it was just for an hour or two. But they still couldn't go all out, you know? They'd be laughing on the way up on the roarer coaster, but when it came to the down, the sudden surge of adrenaline…you can imagine. So only a few actually dared to try it. I talked to Koslov. We were going to have a collar check at the entrance, and remove the collars for a few hours. You've got to believe me, Fluff, it was all with good intention – none of these people would have been a danger to anyone! I knew these guys. I trusted them. I saw myself in every one of them."

Shared suffering – Judy idly wondered how it drew the predator community together. The prey community had nothing similar to speak of. Maybe there was some solidarity amongst species or mammals of similar size. But Judy knew nothing about their struggles. Each new mammal was an enigma to her.

"I never thought it could…go wrong like that. If predators are murdering prey right now…"

"We don't know that yet.", Judy reminded him calmly.

"It's fine, carrots. We are both thinking it. Someone struck out against predator enemies. Maybe someone finally snapped and found a way to take his revenge. Maybe, when they took their collars off, they really did get angry. So angry they…."

He didn't finish the sentence. There was a heart breaking anguish in his voice.

"Why did you become a cop, Fluff?"

"I had something to proof. I knew I could make the world a better place – and I wanted to show everyone that even small guys like me could do it."

She smiled as some of the old enthusiasm crept back into her bones, setting them alive with inspiration. But the sensation left her soon as huge droplet of water exploded on her head, dropped from the tip of the leaf above. "And…I've decided I want to make a difference for predators, too. You guys need the police now more than ever. And if it is predators committing these crimes, we will bring them to justice. And then we need to have a good, close look at what we are doing as a city!"

"Good luck with that, noble Carrots."

"Right now we don't need luck, we need action!"

The bunny jumped to her feet and swung around to pull Nick up by the collar. The fox, looking startled, turned to face her. "What?"

"Right now – let's head to Sahara Square and investigate this circus."

"Carrots, it's nearly four in the morning! By the time we get there it will be at least five. No one will be around yet. It's late. We are both tired. We are soaking wet."

"You haven't given me a single good reason yet not to go", beamed the officer. "The sooner we clear this up the better. And the emptier the circus, the easier for us to snoop around! Come on, Nick! It will be _fun._ "

"You scare me sometimes, Fluff."

But he didn't protest when she grabbed his tie and started dragging him out into the rain.


	14. Chapter 14 - Lights on

_**Author's Note:** No promises that this will ever be finished, but I might be able to throw out a few more chapters. Honestly, I am shortening them and sort of getting to the point quicker, I think, but if I am going to finish the story, hurrying it is the only way for me at the moment. I have 300 fantastic readers that I wouldn't like to disappoint, but nontheless: No promises. I always wish my own original stories would ever be received positively, and hence relying on Disney's work for any of my writing to be read is rather sad I guess XD_

 _Still, having 300 people read anything I wrote at all is pretty amazing. I'm glad you like the story, and I hope that if it continues, it continues to your satisfaction._

 **Chapter 14**

 **Lights on**

As a young bunny, Judy had enjoyed circuses, yet nothing loomed quite as tall or dark as a circus at night. The red and white tent stood before them with its opening folds drawn apart, revealing a mound of darkness that welcomed them inside.

Trailers stood around the ghost-quiet square. Occasionally the rustling of a bell tingled in the air, startling both the rabbit and the fox with dooming imaginations of panthers and cougars lightly asleep. For the first time in his life, even Nick hoped that the monsters hidden inside their metal cages were collared.

Despite their fear, and the constant, nagging, tingling sensations in their backs, the two small mammals proceeded with undeniable bravery. Ducking under ropes and past crates on the inside of the tent, they quickly hurried across the ring. Nick wiped away their footprints in the sand with his tail as he went, and soon, unnoticed, they hoped, they passed through yet another opening into the back stage area of the circus.

"Don't circus people get up early for practise or something like that?", murmured the fox, doing well in disguising his panic. They both started roaming around the area on the lookout for something suspicious. "I don't even know what we are looking – uah!"

Judy nearly screamed herself at the fox's exclamation, but when she turned he was standing frozen before a Bobo doll that had jumped up at him out of the dark. Nick had his arms raised defensively, looking comically like an actor in a kungfu movie, and he relaxed reluctantly when the bunny quietly giggled.

"Poor fox. Do you need me to hold your hand whilst we look?", she teased and he huffed, dismissing the fright still shaking his bones.

"There is a reason I opened a theme park, and not a circus…man, look at all this stuff."

With some dread Judy watched him pick up a set of juggling cones. She covered her eyes when he began to throw them, expecting them to drop at once. The noise would surely give them away. But to her surprise, the fox's nimble paws caught the cones easily out of the air and passed them on again. "Pretty impressed, huh, carrots? I have a lot of talents you don't know about."

"Bragging being one of them? Stop playing around, Nick, we have a job to do."

He gently put the juggling cones back, feinting disappointment. The rabbit officer returned to her work, eagerly shifting through open crates and weighing others. Every box contained another threat to their stealth – squeaky toys, a fake nose, a flower that spit water, trumpets and drums and clattering plastic teeth. She was quite fed up with her search by the time Nick had pulled out a large and colourful looking ball and jumped upon it.

"Look at me, Carrots! Ha! This is easy, I could do it for hours!"

Indeed, his feet held their balance on the ball quite well, his tail shifting behind him to assist in shifting his weight. Judy, reluctantly smiling, raised her paws to clap. The fox, quite encouraged by this, straightened himself and went to bow when his balance failed him after all. A few seconds of hurried tripling and stepping followed, but nothing could stop both fox and ball from going off into an unwanted direction. Right in the back of the tent, Nick crashed into a row of boxes covered in white linens, and before Judy could hurry after him to soften his fall, he had landed with a terrible clatter.

She stood by the broken crates and looked down upon his frozen figure – startled, but otherwise unhurt. Neither of them moved as they listened intently for steps or voices, anything to make them believe that they had been found out. But the night remained quiet, the shadows unmoved. Judy helped Nick off the floor and stared down at the boxes as the fox dusted himself down with considerable embarrassment.

"There's nothing in here either", Judy sighed. She had plucked away at the straw for ages before, finally, something rolled out of the sorry remains of the crates. It was a blue ball, no larger than a blue berry. One sniff however confirmed that the resemblance to the fruit ended with its looks.

Nick bent over the mysterious item beside her, equally mystified. "What the hell are these for?"

"I don't know. But they smell sort of familiar."

"Don't know what you mean, Fluff. I don't smell anything remotely recognizable. From the shape alone I'd have said they were bullets. Maybe they have an act…you know, like knife throwing? Just with pistols."

Judy dropped the blue bullet with a disinterested sigh. "Maybe. But that's nothing useful to us… if they take off their collars, they must keep them somewhere. Let's try to find them."

Suddenly, light flooded the darkened back stage area. The two mammals raised their hands to shield their eyes from the blinding light, caught too abruptly by the sudden illumination. With the light came steps, silently at first, then heavier. As though whoever had kept themselves hidden before had suddenly dropped all intention of being unnoticed. The fox and the bunny shifted together closer before they reopened their eyes, both of them frozen like a deer in headlights.

"We don't usually allow visitors backstage…", said a voice. There were predators all around them. Collarless cats, cougars, panthers, the silent hunters of the night circus. It took Judy a while for her eyes to adjust and then pinpoint the speaker. But she found him soon, standing tall amongst his companions. A tiger with flaming red fur and thin, precise stripes, a strong snout and glistening teeth. His neck, adorned by a collar, shun an even green light. Whilst most predators around them wore either costumes or pyjamas, the tiger that had spoken wore a suit of black.

None of this, not even the pistol in his paw, shocked Judy as much as the fact that she recognized him. Almost simultaneously, Nick and Judy spoke in disbelief: "Mayor Striper?"

"Ex-Mayor", Edward Striper corrected them generously. There was a lazy arrogance to his voice, as if every word he directed their way was a generosity, a result of virtuous patience. "It seems there is no need for introductions", he smiled warily. "Officer Judy Hopps and Nicholas Wilde, is that right? Now here's a famous fox if I have ever seen one. I'd say it's a pleasure to have you here, but… we must have missed you announcing your visit."

"What's going on here, striper? Why are these predators not collared? What are you hiding here?", Judy burst out at once. Her face had set in an expression of angry determination, and she had stepped forward with her small paws clenched. She would have taken another step had Nick not picked her up under her arms and drawn her back reflexively.

"Wow. Ex-Mayor. It was a real pleasure meeting you. Looks like you're doing really well for yourself. Made a few friends, I see. Charming fellows. Hi. Yeah. We best be off then!" As if to illustrate his point, he yawned loudly. "It's getting a bit too early in the morning for me! Best be off and get a bit of shut eye, right? And I am sure you gentleman have a lot to do…"

With the struggling bunny in his arms, Nick had already moved towards the only opening he saw in the circle of predators. But that circle closed soon, and the mammals, most of them armed with crow bars or baseball bats, rose their weapons with mischievous glints in their dark eyes.

"Why in such a hurry? Stay", Striper offered. With open arms he took a step towards them. "You have gone through such trouble to come here. I would love to show you around."

He wasn't far from them now. Nick bared his fangs, reluctantly releasing Judy. The bunny made herself small next to the fox. Something about striper's expression rung alarm bells in her head. He had the eyes of…well, a predator. A hunter. Every step he took made Judy's heart scream for survival. She could not shake the feeling that those white, sharp teeth, had tasted blood, and were about to do it again. And when Edward Striper turned towards Judy specifically, the inviting smile widening on his lips, there was a mutual understanding of his murderous intent in their silent communication.

"Why don't you stay for breakfast?"

All at once, the creatures in the tent broke into motion. The predators clutched their weapons tighter as Edward Striper launched forward with his claws extended towards the rabbit.

In her mind, Judy was screaming at her muscles to move, but she was frozen with fear. She was grabbed by the collar by a familiar paw, and before she could catch her breath, Nick had hurled her up into the air. "Run, Fluff!"

The clawed paw that had been meant for her struck Nick instead. The fox went down with a howl, and Judy idly noticed whilst still in the air that the collar around the tiger's neck had not once changed colour during his violence. Judy almost missed the rope hanging from the ceiling, but at the very last second her paws closed around it. She found herself swinging and climbing at the same time, eventually reaching a support beam at the top. The predators below her were growling and howling with laughter, murderous joy shaking the tent.

Judy jumped back down into the sand behind the circle of enemies, her back facing the way they had entered. It was only a few meters away, ready and waiting for the bunny's escape. But she could see them closing in on Nick, baseballs bats swung through the air, the red fur of her friend disappearing behind a wall of ever moving bodies. Striper has grabbed him by the tie and torn him into the air, and the fox was kicking, struggling, his collar blinking yellow, then red, whilst Striper's was still green, green, green. And Nick turned towards her, his teeth clenched and his eyes wide, and the only word he screamed before he was thrown down onto the floor was "RUN!" and he was still screaming it when Judy turned, obeying both him and her instincts, and bolted for the door.

No one followed her. She escaped into the cold night air, her fur sticky from nightmare sweat. There were figures by the trailers, leaning against them with crossed arms and patient smiles. No one followed her. Their smiles were knowing and all mighty.

It didn't occur to Judy, not until she was on the motor way, waving her paws desperately for the attention of a passing car. Not until she was seated, half asleep, in the back of a truck that took her towards the city centre. Not until she dropped before the police department that was due to open in just half an hour.

They had never wanted her in the first place.

They had wanted Nick.


	15. Notice of Discontinuation

_Hi everyone,_

 _I am only updating to let you all know that this story will not be continued. I felt the need to let you know as so many new people are still starting to folllow 'shackles' and I feel the need to let any potential new readers know that the end of the story is reached._

 _I apologize for not finishing this (and for the update notification you all are gonna get)- I moved on from Zootopia almost a year ago and simply cannot see myself getting back into this story enough to completeit. My ideas and intentions for the plot have vanished from my mind, and there is little to no connection left to the characters. If I was to ever attempt this again, it would not be to the same authentity as the previous chapters._

 _It's really amazing to see how many people enjoyed this story and are still interested in its progression. I was glad for every favourite, review or follower, of course, and I do feel bad for disappointing anyone. Thank you for reading so far and for enjoying this story._


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